Happy Holidays!
It’s finally December again, and we’re getting deep into the spirit here in the Endeavour offices. It’s been an inspirational year for us; we’ve spoken with what’s felt like a wider range of companies than ever before, from traditional heavy industries to less frequently examined markets such as floriculture or meat-free QSR, and over the months, we’ve seen some truly incredible stories. Time and again, we’ve encountered innovations in sustainable practices that restore faith in human ingenuity in the face of climate fears, and we’ve seen companies providing delicious answers to healthy eating demands, raise their safety and product standards across the industries, and put ever-greater emphasis on employee well-being. Of course, not every company is leading the way, but with the glowing examples that some are setting, we hope that we are witnessing a snowball that will keep growing and answer the concerns that the world at large is facing. For every worrying news story, or every company that applies poor practices, there is another flourishing business working behind the scenes to improve lives.
Most notably, we have seen countless stories of companies working to make real differences in their communities. For some this push is more genuine than for others, but in the cases where it is, staggering change can and is being made around the world. Overall, this culture of CSR seems to be more heartfelt and central than ever, with the financial bottom line not always being a company’s emotional bottom line. This month, we were happy to speak with OW Logistics, a logistics company for small to medium importers between Asia and North America, who are as invested in their support of a Sri Lankan orphanage as they are in their business itself. We also took a look at some charities that we thought needed more exposure; for example, Helping Hands undertakes vast efforts to safely and ethically train unique and adorable helpers for those with mobility issues, aka capuchin monkeys. Whilst sounding either like a novelty or, worse, an ethical quandary, the members of Helping Hands’ ‘Monkey College’ are exceedingly well cared for, and trained at a gentle pace to suit them until they are acclimatized to life in human homes. Once rehomed, they are able to provide both help and companionship to US citizens who aren’t able to get out and about or take care of themselves as easily as other people.
Finally, we took a look around the world to see how different cultures mark the coming of winter; after all, we’re a global family at Endeavour, and our UK-based holidays won’t even scratch the surface of the array of celebrations that will be kicking off this season. So, wrap up warm, or stick on the air con, depending which hemisphere you’re in, and enjoy this final Endeavour of 2018 with us. We’re looking forward to next year already!
