To generate profit, a company must make more than it spends. It must pay their workers less money to produce a product than it charges customers who purchase that product. It must pay less for the raw materials to produce a product than it charges customers who purchase that product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
And the lower the labour and materials costs, the greater the profit. So there is significant incentive to not source materials sustainably or to pay workers living wages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lumber companies will seek the lowest costs to harvest timber and will try to harvest the timber that gives them the most lumber in the least amount of harvest time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beverage companies will seek the lowest costs to extract water and will try to harvest the water that requires the least amount of processing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Electronics companies will seek the lowest costs to extract the minerals to make the components of their products, even if that means funding perpetual civil wars in distant countries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grocery chains will seek the lowest costs for bananas and chocolate, even if it means producers use child labour to guarantee it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Snack food manufacturers will seek the lowest costs on their ingredients, even if it means the widespread destruction of orangutan habitat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t believe people when they tell you that capitalism and environmentalism are compatible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n