Good Karma Socials

It’s 2025, and people are watching where their money goes. They want to know who made the product, how staff are treated and whether the business cares about more than just its bottom line.

And when a business gets it wrong, people notice.

From fast fashion to food chains, we’ve seen a wave of consumer boycotts over recent years. Think of Boohoo, accused of paying garment workers as little as £3.50 an hour. Or Shein, repeatedly called out for unsustainable production and poor working conditions. A more recent example being American Eagle’s “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” campaign, which triggered strong responses for echoing eugenicist themes and promoting narrow beauty ideals. (Made worse by Trumps open support)

These aren’t just PR hiccups, they’ve led to mass public backlash and a growing number of conscious consumers turning their backs for good.

The truth is: if profit is the only priority, you’re building something on very shaky ground.

Being a responsible business means looking beyond short-term wins and thinking about long-term impact. It means asking hard questions like:

• Who is suffering so we can make this margin?
• What happens to our waste?
• Are we making the world better or just selling into it?
• Are we protecting those who’s voices have been silenced?

And it’s not just small indie brands making the shift. Patagonia handed over its entire company ownership to fight climate change. Tony’s Chocolonely continues to call out modern slavery in the chocolate industry, including naming and challenging bigger competitors. These brands aren’t perfect, but they show what’s possible when values come before profit.

Of course, making money matters. Businesses need to survive. But the idea that responsibility and profitability can’t co-exist is outdated. In fact, businesses that operate with transparency and care often build more trust, loyalty and long-term success.

At Good Karma Socials, we work with businesses who want to make a difference, not just a sale. And we’ve seen first-hand how putting ethics at the core attracts the right people, clients and community.

Being a responsible business isn’t a luxury or a marketing angle. It’s a responsibility. And as more people wake up to the true cost of cheap, fast tasteless and easy, we’ll soon see that brands that only chase profit will be left behind.

The future of business is values-led. Let’s start acting like it.

If you’re a sustainable business with good ethics at it’s heart, we would love to hear from you. Learn more about us here, or send us a ‘hello!’ on hello@goodkarmasocials.com