d like wildfire over Indonesia.
Again, activities that did not account for sustaining nature caused a delayed backlash that whipped havoc over Indonesia’s society. Accounting for both direct deaths from the blaze and indirect deaths from the lingering smokey haze, 100,000 people were estimated to have died from the disaster.
The economic impacts were just as cutting. The estimated cost of these fires for Indonesia, due to humanitarian aid and loss of productive land, was around $1.6 billion.
Sustainable business case study three: Dhaka garment factory collapse
On April 24th, 2013, the factory known as Rana Plaza in Dhaka cracked and shuddered under the weight of its workers and machines. The Bangladeshi factory, serving the fast fashion industry, had its workers stitching and sewing over twelve hours a day, to take home as little as ~$50 a month each.
Structural cracks in the eight-story commercial building were reported, causing the closure of shops in its lower floors. The garment factory owners ignored warnings of potential collapse and ordered workers to continue as normal. Only hours after the cracks appeared, the entire building crumpled, killing 1,138 workers and injuring 2,600.
The world’s attention turned to the human cost of cheap, fast fashion. Brands associated with the Rana Plaza such as Mango, Primark, and H&M suffered both financially and in reputation.
By short-cutting their business’ social responsibility, these fashion companies paid an economic price in the long-run, having to fork out $21.5m to the Rana Plaza Trust Fund. The disaster brought about a campaign concerning fashion retailers and the often unfair treatment of their workers.
Sustainable business case study four: Patagonia’s “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign
As counter-intuitive as this advertisement may seem, the crux of Patagonia’s message is strong: do not take unless you truly need.
Founded by Yvon Chouinard, a strong environmental activist, Patagonia puts the environment at the forefront of its business operations. The social impa