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It’s easy to feel cynical about the language of ‘better capitalism’. B Corps, social enterprises and other do-gooder brands promise to rewrite the rules of the game – but more often than not, they’re still playing by the same old rules, just with a shinier coat of moral paint. Even nonprofits have jumped on the Silicon Valley bandwagon, chasing impact metrics like they’re the next big tech IPO.
For example, TOMS’ original one-for-one model sounded noble – give a pair of shoes to someone in need for every pair sold. But as critics like Kelsey Timmerman have pointed out, “The problem isn’t that people don’t have shoes. It’s that they don’t have the means to buy shoes.” Giving away free shoes seemed like a great way to quantify impact but overlooked the damage it did to local economies and the deeper, systemic roots of poverty.
In this lengthy essay, Vincent Sanchez-Gomez takes a hard look at why so many well-intentioned efforts to create impact fall short. He dives into three big traps we fall into: obsessing over metrics, conflating growth with success, and compartmentalising ‘doing good’ from everything else.
Sanchez-Gomez starts with a relatable analogy: judging friendship by the number of hugs you give. It’s flawed to reduce something as complex as relationships (or, say, societal impact) into neat but shallow metrics.
He points out that – in the name of chasing that imaginary impact metric – many organisations employ questionable methods on one end to ‘do good’ on the other. “Positive impact that’s funded by negative impact can only bring about incremental change, or maintain an equilibrium, but cannot be transformative.”
In that way, corporate philanthropy often works more like a guilt-offsetting scheme than a true commitment to change: “Adding a charitable initiative to a business model that relies on extractive and harmful practices is a bit like frosting a rotten cake – it might taste a little sweeter, but the cake is still going to make you sick.”
He’s not against scaling impact, but offers a refreshingly different take on it: “If something does well and is having an impact, one good way to scale that impact would be to spread the values that made that organization successful, rather than assuming that the organization itself should grow.”
As an alternative approach, Sanchez-Gomez proposes a values-driven framework, one that treats impact not as a box to check but as an ongoing conversation:
“Impact is not just a measure of how many good deeds you’re doing, it’s a self-interrogative process that requires integrating your values into every aspect of how your organization works, and changing your strategy when it becomes clear it’s doing more harm than good.”
Ultimately, positive impact can’t be neatly quantified on a dashboard. It’s a reflective practice – a way to lean into complexity and to continually ask whether the work we’re doing aligns with the change we hope to see. Sanchez-Gomez articulates this really well in this piece.
– Kai
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Apps & Sites
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MusicHarbor (macOS & iOS) collects and arranges new releases from the artists you follow in a chronological list. It guarantees that you will see what’s new. You can import artists from your Apple Music, Spotify, and Last.fm accounts, or also add them manually.
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Love audiobooks but not a fan of sending more money Amazon’s way? Libro is the kind of business that deserves your support, not just because it isn’t Amazon, but because it actively helps local small businesses: “Libro is an employee-owned Social Purpose Corporation that shares profits from your audiobook purchases with your chosen bookshop, giving you the power to keep money within your local economy.”
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There’s a whole universe of Notion alternatives, and Reflect is a little gem among them. This sleek app for networked notes offers built-in ChatGPT assistance, calendar integration, seamless syncing across devices, end-to-end encryption and a lovely, clean interface.
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Meal planning for couples
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Can’t decide what to cook for the family? Add the recipes you’re interested in, set the frequency for each, and What Dinner suggests options for you based on each person’s preference. Both of you make your choices separately but decide together.
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Worthy Five: Zachary Kai
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Five recommendations by offbeat queer, generalist and writer Zachary Kai
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A podcast worth listening to:
otherppl is a literary podcast by author Brad Listi featuring fascinating, in-depth interviews, discussions of craft, and notes on culture. I appreciate his gracious, gentle style.
A book worth reading:
After discovering the ‘Random’ search filter on Libby, I found The Revenge Of Analog by David Sax, and what a find! Entertaining, deeply researched, and a call to appreciate the ‘real’ world.
A question worth asking:
I’m stealing this from Tim Ferriss, and it’s always resonated with me: ‘What would this look like if it were easy?’ Things don’t have to be hard to be worthy.
An activity worth doing:
Sending mail to strangers: receiving mail and making connections! A delightful, dying form of communication. My favourite way is through Postcrossing and Send Something.
A newsletter worth subscribing to:
Robin Sloan’s monthly dispatch: erudite recommendations, musings, and links with a literary, philosophical bent. The man is a true generalist, a stunning writer, coder, reader, musician and even an olive oil producer.
(Did you know? Friends of DD can respond to and engage with guest contributors like Zachary Kai in one click.)
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Books & Accessories
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Design/architecture journal
Untapped is a digital and print design journal with stories that “identify the most important knowledge about improving the built environment, and contextualize it for today and tomorrow”. Discover how the everyday infrastucture around us might be used to improve the spaces we live in and objects we rely on. Get a taste of their writing here, then order a copy of the recently released 2nd volume of the print edition. (US readers order from their site, int’l readers order from MagCulture.)
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Essay collection
You may know Evan Puschak as the host of the wildly popular Youtube channel Nerdwriter, where he publishes in-depth video essays that explore art, pop culture, politics, film and philosophy. His first book is a collection of 11 interconnected essays that blend personal anecdotes, pop culture, classic literature and even public benches, creating the feeling of having a thoughtful conversation with a smart, engaging friend.
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Overheard on Mastodon
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If you’d like to prevent me making a podcast, please donate to my kickstopper.
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Food for Thought
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If, like me, you’re fond of B Corps and find the notion of a ‘more responsible capitalism’ at least intriguing, this piece by Vincent Sanchez-Gomez will point out some major flaws in our current approach and offers a fresh prespective on how ‘doing good’ can be done better. “Social entrepreneurs tend to think of ourselves as immune to the logic of capitalism and scale because we’re not singularly focused on profit. That’s a mistake. We often replicate the scale mindset and apply it to impact when we assume that the best way to do the most good is to do more.”
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This is a lovely essay on Grant Petersen, a US bicycle designer who promotes a more relaxed cycling culture through his company, Rivendell Bicycle Works. He believes modern bikes often prioritise speed and technology at the expense of enjoyment and accessibility. (Although, to be fair, the price tag of his company’s bikes won’t make cycling more accessible.) “Petersen believes that the bike industry’s focus on racing – along with ‘competition and a pervasive addiction to technology’ – has had a poisonous influence on cycling culture. He dislikes the widespread marketing to recreational riders of spandex kits, squirty energy gels, and workout apps such as Strava. He thinks that low, curved handlebars contort riders into an unnatural position; that bicycles made of carbon fibre and aluminum have safety issues; and that stretchy synthetics have nothing on seersucker and wool.”
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Cortney Cassidy left her tech job to become a full-time gardener after realising that sitting at a desk just wasn’t fulfilling. Her story does come with some caveats – she’s single and able to supplement her income with freelance work if needed. Still, we need more people speaking openly about making radical career changes, and the mix of anxiety and healing that often comes with them. “To take a leap, all you need is the conviction and the confidence to try. Also, keep reminding yourself: ‘If this doesn’t work out, I still have my old skillset.’ Taking on a new lifestyle or job doesn’t erase everything from your past. If things get too hard, or if something happens and you need to activate your old skills, or your old network, you can.”
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Aesthetically Pleasing
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Fits nicely into today’s context of mission/values-driven work: a mini-documentary series by Never Too Small called Wonderful Waste. It follows six designers tackling construction waste, turning discarded materials into innovative product designs. As you’d expect, it’s beautifully shot.
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Woah. Max Siedentopf, a Namibian-German artist, creates hyperrealistic, humorous sculptures, often using ordinary objects in unexpected ways to challenge viewers’ perceptions.
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TG Minagi Sans is a neo-humanist sans serif that takes inspiration from some calligraphy and blackletter letterforms, featring sharp details and a little stiffness in some parts of the typeface.
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Notable Numbers
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The French government has published a decree, mandating solar installations on parking lots larger than 1,500 sqm. At least 50% of parking areas, including traffic lanes, must be covered with solar shelters or green canopies. Non-compliance can incur annual fines of up to €40,000 ($42,160) until resolved.
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Denmark has agreed on how to implement the world’s first tax on agricultural emissions, including flatulence by livestock. From 2030, farmers will have to pay a levy of 300 kroner ($43; £34) per tonne of methane on emissions from livestock including cows and pigs, which will rise to 750 kroner in 2035.
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According to Oxfam International, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk emit more carbon pollution in 90 minutes than the average human does in their entire life. The report suggests that the wealthiest 1% by income account for 16% of emissions, which is more than the poorest two-thirds of people in the world.
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Classifieds
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The journey you didn’t know you needed – until now. Rated by National Geographic as “the best spa in the world”. Unplug in eco-luxury with this Yoga & Ayurveda magical retreat.
lft • looking forward to is an app to discover and countdown to the world’s most anticipated events in cinema, music, sports and more.
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Read more poetry! Sonia’s Poem of the Week sends you one good poem plus commentary every Friday. Join 2,000+ poem readers today!
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The Week in a GIF
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Reply with your favourite GIF and it might get featured here in a future issue.
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