A green economy doesn’t treat workers’ well-being and a healthy environment as acceptable losses in doing business. The bottom line isn’t ever-increasing individual profit—it’s the prosperity that comes from taking care of each other for a brighter, shared future. While traditional business outlooks may favor short-term profit at any expense, the fact is that the long-term success of any company requires safeguarding the welfare of workers, consumers, our environment, and our communities.
The top priorities of a green economy reflect how protecting both fair labor policies and environmentally sustainable practices are essential to creating a solid foundation that will serve any business well into its future:
Fair Pay and Pay Transparency are essential to a fair, green market. Economic data has long shown that a thriving middle class is the hallmark of a prosperous society. Therefore, paying workers fairly—whether it’s a livable wage, fair pay, or universal basic income—are crucial to ensuring people have enough money for their needs and to put back into the economy for their wants. Pay transparency is a key part of fair pay as well, breaking down socio-economic barriers and clarifying the monetary value of jobs. It also helps to address issues of wage theft and failure to pay overtime. For too many workers worldwide, unfair wages fail to cover even basic costs of living, and the ability to access essential needs such as food, clean water, shelter, clothing, and education remains precarious.
Health and Safety in the Workplace is fundamental to a strong workforce. Sufficient medical care for people and their families means workers get the care they need when they’re sick. It also means workplaces put worker well-being and safety first, ensuring that workers are: given safe and secure channels to report workplace violations; educated in safety and hazard prevention; and guaranteed just compensation for injuries and other harms. It’s especially critical to ensure workers are of legal age—many workplace accidents occur with underage workers.
Anti-Discrimination and Equity Policies in workplaces ensure that every person has the opportunity and resources to achieve their career goals, regardless of sex, gender identity, race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, nationality, creed, disability, age, or political opinion. Right to Organize in the workplace ensures that workers can speak up collectively to call out harms at work and choose to join a union if they wish. Worker agency and safety to raise major issues is necessary to ensure fair pay and safe workplaces.
Life/Work Balance provides people with enough time to recharge from work. People need to rest, play, provide caregiving, and manage obligations outside of work. We work for a living, but we don’t live for work. Time outside of work means we can spend our paychecks on goods, services, and experiences that keep the green economy running.
Environmental Sustainability creates an economic foundation that can take us into a prosperous and vibrant future. Instead of expanding industries such as chemical manufacturing or battery recycling that contaminate our water and poison the air, we must adopt policies and practices that seek to waste as little as possible and create little-to-no harm for our environment, our communities, and the workers we depend on. We can build innovative and profitable businesses that also ensure the resources we need are around for ourselves and future generations.
A green economy doesn’t have to be aspirational—there are businesses thriving right now that follow these principles and contribute to the health and vibrancy of their communities. Despite the many corporations that insist we accept greed and injustice as the price of doing business, labor protections, sustainable supply chains, and healthy work/life balances aren’t in opposition to profits and success; they’re vital building blocks in creating a robust economic system that’s accessible and equitable for everyone. And we can still insist—through how we spend our money, who we choose to do business with, and using our collective voices for change—on corporate policies and practices that allow a green economy to thrive for the good of us all and our planet.
