When we go to see a big Hollywood movie, we expect the special effects to be spectacular. When we go to a fancy restaurant, we expect the service to be impeccable. When we buy a bicycle we expect it to have wheels (two hopefully).

When we see a company selling a product in the store, we expect that that company is producing that product in a safe and legal way. If not, they wouldn’t be able to sell it, right?

But is that really the case? Do we know for sure? How can we know? We assume a lot of things when it comes to the products that we buy and use on a daily basis relating to their labour, environmental, health standards. But is this really the case?

Expectations and assumptions are dangerous words for companies that don’t have their back office in order when it comes to sustainability. Several companies seem to rely on the fact that their customers assume that they are doing certain good things relating to the environment and society. What will happen when customers realize that this is not the case?