Many believe that Anita Roddick pioneered the Conscious Business Movement with her company, “The Body Shop” in 1976. This company has been an environmental leader, and worked to support various activist causes including putting an end to animal testing, and defending human rights.

An overwhelming amount of Conscious Businesses can be found in the health food industry as well as the LOHAS (lifestyles of health and sustainability) market. However, today Conscious Businesses can be found emerging in almost all aspects of the business world.

There are various agencies and companies that catalogue the social and environmental practices of businesses for consumer use, as well as companies which consult with businesses to increase their awareness and beneficial practices in the world.

Conscious Business is about people who are aware of the impact each of their habits and actions has on their environment (people and planet). It is about people who live their lives based on the knowingness that everything is interconnected. It is about people, who know who they are:

• who know about their strengths and weaknesses and
• who desire to live and work with joy, creativity and ease instead of fear, power and domination

Resources for more information

• Abergene, Patricia; Megatrends 2010: The Rise of Conscious Capitalism. Hampton Roads Publishing Company (September 2005).
• Hawken, Paul. Natural Capitalism. Back Bay Books; 1st edition (October 12, 2000).
• Kofman, Fred; Conscious Business: How to Build Value Through Your Values. Sounds True: September (2006).