Innovation + Responsibility

That's the headline on an article in this Sunday's New York Times that is worth reading.

A few months ago, after the untimely passing of Anita Roddick, I mentioned in my blog the trend that has been emerging over the last decade or so, in which large multinational companies buy these small outfits that have achieved a measure of success precisely because their way of doing business is different, usually more responsible/sustainable/environmentally conscious.

The New York Times article asks of Burt's Bees the question I asked (more broadly) in that blog post - can these small companies change their parents for the better? Or will they just become part of the multinational machine?

As interesting a read as the Times article is, it doesn't answer the question it poses.  But it would be great to see an analysis of what - if any - positive impact these earth-friendly companies have had on the huge companies that have purchased them.

•Has Ben & Jerry's helped shape Unilever's conscience?
•Has Aveda gotten Estee Lauder to end animal testing of its products?
•Has Tom's of Maine gotten Colgate-Palmolive to increase its use of all-natural ingredients?
•Has Stonyfield Farms been able to improve Danone's dairy production practices? 

I get that Clorox wants a piece of Burt's Bees' halo.  But I wonder if the company best known for chemical-based cleaning products and plastic garbage bags will learn from its newest, greenest brand, or will it just bask in the green glow it took Burt's Bees 20+ years to earn?