Changing Business to Change the World, Adjusting Our Mission (take 2)

Over the past 15 years, the world has changed—fast. Sometimes in conflicting directions. After a powerful wave of progress that brought systemic injustices into the mainstream (think the 99%, #MeToo, climate marches, the uprisings following the deaths of George Floyd and Joyce Echaquan, or the protests against the #AsianHate wave during the pandemic), many companies followed suit, acknowledging that contributing to economic growth for the benefit of a handful of shareholders was no longer enough. That’s what over 8,000 B Corp-certified companies around the world are telling us. It’s the same reason why some businesses have chosen cooperative models or embraced the social and solidarity economy. And it’s reflected in laws passed in Canada, France, and elsewhere that have established the legal status of “mission-driven companies,” inspired by the American Benefit Corporation model.

But alongside this necessary and inspiring momentum, a conservative backlash has gained traction. As I write this, many of the big companies that once led the way on social justice have backed down.

These are convictions we share with the talents who choose to work with us: they are anxious about the climate crisis, outraged by systemic racism, patriarchy, wealth inequality, or homophobia. Our teams expect us to keep pushing ourselves, to keep transforming the company from within —not to back down when “trends” fade.

In 2022, we stated that TUX was no longer just about delivering creativity and success to brands. Our mission then was to have a positive impact on society by making creativity exert a positive influence on society by making creativity a stronger source of support for all.

This mission was based on an obvious truth: for too long, solidarity has been confined to charity work and community initiatives. But businesses are deeply embedded in local communities—they are the economic lifeblood of our societies, just as they depend on these communities and natural resources to exist. We knew they could no longer simply take what they needed to grow or impose their vision and methods.

Through the challenges we’ve faced since first articulating that mission, two realities became clear.

 

• First, as a small company, we don’t have the resources to tackle every issue at once. We had to pick our main battle—without abandoning the rest.

 

• Second, since our work is all about people (our talent and the individuals we collaborate with or feature in our campaigns), our efforts naturally centered on one key area: justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

In 2024, we updated our mission to reflect these priorities:

This mission affects every role at TUX:

 

• When our strategists rethink our briefing model to ensure inclusivity is baked in from the start.

 

• When our creative teams push for better representation of historically marginalized communities that some industries have long excluded from their communications—even though they are part of their customer base. With our client Altitude Sports, for example, we made the choice to reflect reality more accurately—because no, hiking and outdoor sports aren’t just for white people.

 

• When our production team develops a compensation model for artists and influencers that takes systemic discrimination into account and recognizes its impact on the value of their work. In this case, two artists had the courage to challenge our rates, and thanks to them, we made progress—we’re grateful for that.

 

• When our teams call us out, pointing out that on certain projects or in specific situations, we need to do better.

 

• And when, at the governance level, we have tough but necessary conversations to question ourselves—our biases, and how they shape the company.

 

Does this mean we’ve already succeeded in this transition? Or that we’re beyond reproach? Of course not. We’ve started our journey of unlearning and transformation, but the road ahead is long and bumpy.

What was widely agreed upon as right and necessary in 2020, after George Floyd’s murder, is now being framed by some as a threat to democracy and civilization. So how do we avoid panic or anger? How do we make decisions in this climate?

So if ever you wondered, yes, we still believe that all this will help our company become socially better tomorrow than it is today. There is no other way.