The Shirt Off Your Back: Lydia Wendt and Michael Townsend

Among the inherent contradictions of capitalism, according to Karl Marx, is that private profit rests on the backs of workers who gain little from the arrangement, other than perpetuating the wealth of those to whom they sell their labor. But there is a movement afoot to mitigate that contradiction. In business schools, and increasingly in actual capital enterprises, people are talking about, and working toward a “triple bottom line” which considers not only private profit but creating positive social and environmental impact. This week on Sea Change Radio, we talk with two professionals involved in this new way of doing business. First we take a look at a small textile entrepreneur who’s cultivating responsible sourcing for the clothes we wear. Next, we talk to a sustainability consultant about how he helps businesses employ alternative ways to define success.