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1. Introduction
Around the world, both small businesses and large corporations are facing challenges in acting responsibly when producing goods and services that serve society, the economy and environment. In order to cope with these challenges, many companies are preparing corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies. Among examples of such companies are those involved in the information and communication technology (ICT) market (called here either ICT companies or ICT firms). These companies can be described as the main providers of the technologies that are shaping society, and are likely both today and in the future to have significant social and environmental impacts.
This discussion paper suggests that ICT firms should begin an in-depth examination of their own businesses, and identify the ethical, environmental, and social impacts that are the direct result of their own goods and services being on the market. Such an approach is important for ICT companies to evaluate the appropriateness of their CSR strategies. Customer profiles are starting to change: consumers who are sensitive and aware are beginning to ask for transparency and consistency from the producers whose products they buy. As a result, ICT firms should ideally be among the first, lead set of companies to develop an applied form of ethics – a computer ethics – that questions the various challenges created by computers. The concept of Slow Tech can facilitate such a careful, ethical approach among those ICT companies that want to design, develop, produce, and sell ICT that is good, clean, and fair.
This paper therefore introduces Slow Tech as a concept: it describes its origins and its relationship with Slow Food. It introduces a short overview of the roles of computer ethics and business ethics. It outlines the current production approaches of ICT companies, before presenting an argument that applying Slow Tech as an idea could help companies to improve the coherence and consistency of their own stance on social responsibility. The paper concludes by describing three cases that relate of specific companies, and highlighting the challenges that are implicit in them beginning a new Slow Tech way of thinking and acting. It also sets out some actions for next steps. particularly in the fields of study and research.
2. Slow tech, slow food and other slow forms...