Chapter 4: Eco-Stacking: A Strategy for Success in Social and Business Agendas

This chapter describes a strategy for simultaneously achieving competitive advantage in the cut-throat global manufacturing environment and reducing poverty among individuals who are normally unemployable. Southwest Creations Collaborative (SCC) is an entrepreneurial enterprise in New Mexico that keeps production costs low while delivering high quality, custom work. SCC employs low-skill women with family responsibilities—factors that usually render such U.S. workers unemployable and socially marginalized. In SCC’s model of poverty reduction, economic value is stacked on a low-cost yet strong social support network. SCC provides basic sustenance, such as childcare, to give low-income women social stability while demanding quality and productivity on the job. Examples of key operational practices that lead to success in SCC’s social and business agendas are outlined.