From the systems-driven school of purpose to a circular marketing framework and the foundations of regenerative business
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Business of Purpose

Thought Starters

 

We're mixing things up for this month's issue. Instead of deep-diving into one specific topic, we curated a few thought-provoking pieces we've recently come across: From the systems-driven school of purpose to a circular marketing framework and the foundations of regenerative business. Ready to jump in? Let's go!

Opinion: The ‘Business Case For Purpose’ Is Leading Us Down The Wrong Path

by Tom Rippin | Pioneer's Post

This is such an eye-opening piece by Tom Rippin, the founder and CEO of On Purpose:

 

"Am I the only one who sees the contradiction here? If you feel the need to make a business case for purpose, then your purpose is making money – not whatever you are trying to make a case for. [...] And what happens to the problems that cannot be solved profitably?"

 

Tom goes on to explain a better way to think about purpose-driven business, what he calls the systems-driven school of purpose:

 

"In every complex system, the health of the whole depends on the health of its parts and vice versa. [...] Back in the business world, imagine if every organisation adopted the equivalent approach – to contribute to the health of the systems of which it is a part.

 

First, work out what the organisation’s role is in enhancing the health of systems it participates in. Then work out the business model that allows it to do that – be it sales, tax or philanthropy-funded. If the role needs filling, any business model will do. We should make best use of all revenue streams available. Whether the money that sustains an organisation derives from customers directly, taxation or philanthropists, is relatively unimportant.

 

Whatever revenue organisations generate, it is part of a single interconnected pool of money circulating through the economy. The important thing is to optimise the use of the whole pool such that all activities needed for maintaining a healthy economy can be sustained. Whether a particular model generates profit that can be distributed to shareholders or not [...] is secondary.

 

[...] This is the systems-driven school of purpose, the doctrine of purpose primacy: there is one and only one responsibility for every organisation – to use its resources and engage in activities designed to enhance the health of the systems of which it is a part. These are the rules of the game."

Study: Many Marketers Feel 'Capability Gap' When It Comes To Sustainability Commitments

by Tima Miroshnichenko | Sustainable Brands

The World Federation of Advertisers and Kantar recently published super interesting survey results exploring sustainability and the marketing profession:

 

"Many marketing professionals feel they need to be braver and clearer in their sustainability communications to avoid greenwashing; but over a third don’t feel they have the capacity or knowledge to do so.

 

A new global survey of the marketing industry has found that the profession is lagging behind other areas of business when it comes to understanding and advancing the broad agenda of sustainability. Sustainable Marketing 2030, from the World Federation of Advertisers in partnership with Kantar’s Sustainable Transformation Practice, asserts that Marketing needs to catch up with other departments — with the largest share of marketers surveyed (39 percent) still only taking the first steps on their sustainability journeys.

 

[...] 'Sustainable Marketing 2030 focuses on the value-action gap within marketing organizations. It’s remarkable that even though 94 percent of marketers are willing to be brave to drive transformative change, organizations still behave in the same way,' says Ozlem Senturk, Senior Partner at Kantar’s Sustainable Transformation Practice."

 

The report (do download it!) also includes a circular marketing framework and benchmarking tool that reimagines marketing’s role within the business and redefines growth, acknowledging the reality of our planet's limited resources. Here is an overview of the framework:

WFA and Kantar Framework

Paper: Towards Regenerative Business Models: A Necessary Shift?

by Jan Konietzko et al. | Sustainable Production & Consumption Journal

This paper explores the principles of regenerative business and how it differs from sustainable and circular business models. Here is an excerpt of what their believe are the core tenants of regenerative business:

 

"Regenerative organizations:

  • Recognize that human societies are deeply embedded in the biosphere, and that they depend on the health of the biosphere for their own health
  • Have a value proposition of planetary health and societal wellbeing to nature and society at large

  • Give more than they take and strive for net positive impact 

Following these principles means finding entirely new ways of doing business at scale and in co-creative partnerships with nature and a focus on health and wellbeing. But organizations cannot do this alone. Ambitious policies are needed that incentivize the adoption of regenerative business models."

 

Here is an interesting venn-diagram from the paper, showing the overlaps and differences between regenerative, sustainable and circular business models:

regenerative business vs sustainable and circular businesses

That's it for the curated thought starters! Scroll down to explore more insights from around the web and our latest community news.

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INSIGHTS | From Around The Web

  • The Guardian: Greenwashing era is over
  • Ellen McArthur Foundation: Circular Startup Index
  • Global Commons Alliance: The first science-based targets for nature
  • Axios: Why everyone loves Patagonia
  • Sustainable Brands: Tony's Chocolonely's new 'Mission Lock' structure
  • Vegonomist: How famed meat manufacturer Rügenwalder Mühle became the German market leader for meat alternatives
  • Pioneers Post: Is impact measurement creating a false sense of hope?
  • B The Change: Transitioning between the business as usual economy and the next economy

COMMUNITY | News

  • Charlotte Pillar launched the online shop for her fashion brand Lotta Ludwigson, first 100% biodegradable and cradle-to-cradle suit for women
  • Claudia Guerreiro was on the Women Changing the World podcast to talk about conscious marketing for good
  • Anja De Jaeger launched dazzle, a platform where businesses can find vetted sustainability freelancers
  • Russell Vaughan launched Ecosend Forms, a free online form builder that plants trees
  • Hannah Lennett from Open Supply Hub, a free and open data tool mapping retail supply chain facilities worldwide, is looking for a Product Sales & Marketing Manager (remote)

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That's it for this month.

Thank you!

🙏

 

Thomas

 

www.businessofpurpose.com

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