Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
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opposite page: photography by Kevin horan/getty images/aurora Creative humane instincts For decades, the boom in new technologies and expanding markets led to massive corpo- rate growth and record profits. But that bottom-line success came at a huge cost to the environment, labor practices, and our treatment of animals, from their mass confinement on factory farms to wildlife trafficking and laboratory testing. As we move deeper into the 21st century, however, a new story is emerging. Those same innovations and advancements are not only bringing more awareness to animal cruelty issues, but they've become a force for good in the hands of today's most innovative corporate leaders and entrepreneurs. Companies like Walmart, Whole Foods Market, and Chipotle Mexican Grill are paving the way by using creative solutions to stop the exploitation of animals, and although these businesses are driven by the belief that it's the right thing to do, they're seeing huge financial benefits as well. It's a simple matter of marrying our values with our business practices, says Wayne Pacelle, presi- dent and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, the country's largest animal protection organization. In his new book, The Humane Economy: How Innovators and Enlightened Consumers Are Transforming the Lives of Animals (HarperCollins/William Morrow), a hopeful follow-up to his 2011 best seller, The Bond: Our Kinship With Animals, Our Call To Defend Them, Pacelle explores how innovative entrepreneurs, Fortune 500 CEOs, and scientists are rallying around this social movement and leading us forward by eliminating cruel historic practices. Pacelle recently met with Whole Foods cofounder and co-CEO John Mackey, a pioneer and leader in animal welfare, to talk about this new movement. They spoke about companies they admire, the next practical steps, and exciting predictions for the future. AS COMMERCE BECOMES INCREASINGLY CUTTHROAT AND PROFITABILIT Y IS CHAMPIONED AT AN Y COST, IS THERE ROOM IN THE ECONOMIC EQUATION FOR KINDNESS, CONSCIENCE, AND HUMANE VALUES? MAN Y BUSINESS LEADERS ARE PUTTING THEIR HANDS ON THEIR HEARTS AND SAYING YES... by k ath y blackwell Is there a sea change under way in how businesses large and small engage with animals? Wayne Pacelle: I see an enormous change at work in our relationship with animals. I started an animal advo- cacy group when I was in college, and at that point animal protection was a protest movement. When your ideas are viewed as on the margins, it's easy for people to shunt them aside, to cast them as heretical or radical. Almost 30 years later, they're at the center of the economy, and we're really experiencing a period of punctuated change in all sectors of the animal-use economy. We're seeing big changes in food and agriculture, we're seeing big changes in science and animal testing, and enormous changes in fashion, wildlife management, entertainment. One rea- son that I'm happy to be here with John is that he's been a leader in the corporate world in marrying our values with our commerce. When you disassociate values from business, you get terrible outcomes—things like slavery and child labor and environmental despoliation. This time you not only get better outcomes when businesses have their activities filtered through the lens of a good value system, but now there are great economic opportu- nities because the values have permeated society, and animal welfare is a universal value. John Mackey: I think values have always been in business. What's changing is that consciousness is evolv- ing. One hundred years ago, women didn't have the right to vote; 150 years ago, almost half the United States still had legalized slavery. Our consciousness is evolving in all these different areas where we're more aware. Part of it's because, with the Internet and social media, things are much more transparent. The livestock animal busi- ness is probably about the least transparent part of the entire world economy: Animals on these factory farms are hidden from the public's view. People used to be able 104 bostoncommon-magazine.com