The war in Ukraine is a horror. The world sees it every day on TV; but some
of us — like the Polish volunteers, families and charity organizations — feel it
and live it every day, with millions of refugees bringing the trauma of the war
with them.
The world is uniting to support Ukrainians’ fight for freedom in different ways
— but most of all, through economic and business sanctions meant to stop
Vladimir Putin and prevent him from going further.
More and more brands are cutting business ties with
Russia,
but it will not be particularly painful neither for them; it will be more so for
those that do
not
— they will suffer greater losses in terms of public
support.
Indeed, strong public pressure through social media and anti-Russian
demonstrations on the streets of European capitals have made governments,
companies and organizations (some with resistance, such as
FIFA)
join the global campaign of sanctions against Putin's regime. We can also see
the second great mobilization of goodwill and willingness to help Ukrainians
since the outbreak of the pandemic.
However, while aid efforts — especially those publicized in the media — usually
succeed; it is more difficult to achieve long-term, consistent actions that are
less media-conscious and often involve considerable costs. It is easy to boycott
Russian goods in stores, but it will be more difficult to cut off Russian gas or
coal. It will not be easy for many companies, in the name of supporting Ukraine,
to give up selling their goods to Russia and voluntarily lose market share there
(unless the Kremlin introduces a retaliatory boycott of Western goods).
There is also a risk that when the first wave of support for Ukraine subsides,
there will be temptations to return to "business as usual," regardless of the
outcome of the war.
That is why bold business and government decisions and actions that could change
economic and energy map of Europe and limit Russia’s power (for example,
Germany’s move related to Nord Stream
2)
— are so important today. As COVID heavily impacted the automotive industry and
supply chains for food, raw materials and semi-finished products, it forced the
world to innovate and search for less established but more sustainable solutions
as we navigated the crisis. We must use the same ingenuity to reshape our global
operations and corporate policies in response to the war in Ukraine — revisiting
product, material and energy sourcing for a variety of industries.
Such actions would prove that the care for sustainable development declared by
politicians and business leaders around the
world,
which is inherent in the observance of treaty
principles
and human
rights,
is real. The responsibility test that awaits us in the coming months may prove
to be difficult and costly. But in the long run, not having this responsibility
can cost much more.
For the time being, those who have mostly proven their willingness for
sustainable behaviors — especially in its social aspect — are common people.
Polish society has taken on the burden of refugee help and housing in an
unprecedented movement, accepting more than 2 million
Ukrainians
within two weeks’ time. This triggered an enormous ‘sharing’ effort among
citizens, which has also pushed brands to do the same. The massive influx of
supplies
happened with nearly no governmental support, proving again that we as people
have our own power to influence behavioral change.
Growing concerns related to potential fossil fuel cuts and the threat of nuclear
devastation has triggered discussion about not only changing course toward
clean energy across
Europe,
but also reinforced the reflection concerning the whole planet’s future.
Wars are horrific; and they leave scars that stay forever — but they change the
way we as a civilization perceive the future. Let’s hope that the suffering of
the Ukrainian people will wake us up — not only during the conflict but changing
our approach to sustaining life on planet Earth forever.
Today, one of the main building blocks for brands in building the image and
fighting for customers is corporate social
responsibility.
So, why are we so afraid to say aloud that no truly socially responsible brand
should invest in Russia — a country that has been attacking its neighbors for
many years (because Ukraine is not alone in this), that does not respect the
rules of international law?
Yes, Russia is a big market. But the truth is that if, in 2008, when Russia
attacked Georgia — or in 2014, when Russia first attacked Ukraine — the
democratic world had responded unequivocally, the fate of these countries could
have been different. And we could have avoided the damage both to people and the
environment, then and now.
New criteria for corporate social responsibility have arrived.
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GM, EEU and Strategic Director, SB Services
Sustainable Brands
Tom Pawlikowski is a pioneer of marketing and communication in Central and Eastern Europe. During his extensive career he has worked for a number of marketers and managed agencies including Publicis, Optimedia, Leo Burnett, and Saatchi & Saatchi. He has Master's degrees in Psychology, Management, and Executive Business Coaching.
Published Mar 21, 2022 8am EDT / 5am PDT / 12pm GMT / 1pm CET