OUR APPROACH | On earth we live in a "closed system" with respect to matter. There are certain physical limits that wemust live within if we are to thrive and prosper for generations to come. As the saying goes, "Gravity is not just a good idea, it's the law!" To describe the implications of these "systems conditions", Karl Henrik Robert and colleagues at The Natural Step introduce "the funnel."

The concept is that while exponential growth in human population is causing increasing demand for products and services, the earth"s capacity to provide quality sources of water, fisheries, arable land, food, forest cover and waste absorption is on the decline. This "funnel" creates a squeeze on society and business, impacting prices, competition, and profitability and narrowing the window of opportunity available for companies to compete successfully.

Our approach is to see these constraints as design challenges and opportunities for innovation, just as a skilled designer, engineer or architect uses the constraints posed by his or her project as opportunities for increased innovation, beauty and value. What are the new businesses that will thrive as a result of seeing natural systems as a strategic guideline for their development? It is our assertion that those companies who take a systems view and have the foresight to develop strategies in alignment with sustainability principles, will avoid "hitting the wall" of the funnel. They will also have the capacity to widen the walls of the funnel in which they do business. By creating this "bugle"? for business of increasing value, know how, and service, with decreasing materials and energy use, they will increase their competitive edge and win in the marketplace.

We work with companies, communities and organizations that have a commitment to learn to align and prosper in accordance with these natural laws. We work using an integration of the basic science of sustainability as a compass, systems thinking approaches as our map, and the disciplines of learning as our navigation skills in order to plot a course toward a sustainable future. (See science, systems and learning for elaboration on orienteering towards a sustainable business.)

A business that is ecologically and economically sustainable may be understood as one that continuously increases shareholder value while simultaneously decreasing the energy and material intensity of the products and services it provides. Such a business aims for longterm value growth and development as its source of profitability. This is an ongoing journey. To begin we suggest the following:

 

• Develop a capacity for "find out how" in your business. That is, see this as a learning journey where people are encouraged to imagine the company"s future and create it.
  
  
• Develop a sustainability vision for yourself, your team and your business. What is the legacy that you want your company to leave future generations?
  
  
• Support and challenge yourself and colleagues to examine and shift mental models regarding your business and its relationship to natural resources.
  
  
• Increase your own "ecological literacy": develop some personal mastery in this domain.
  
  
• Share new learning, visions and attitudes with each other through formal and informal dialogue and conversation.
  
  
• Ask the strategic question, "What business am I in?" Answer this from the perspective of what service your products provide. For example at Interface Carpets, they realize they sell warmth, ambience, and comfort, not just carpeting.
  
  
• Ask, "How can I provide the services that my business/product delivers in a way that is aligned with the earth's natural systems?" To answer this question, consider the following sustainable business development guidelines:*
  
  
  
  • Minimize throughput of energy and materials.
    
    
  • View all waste as "food" for some other natural or technical process.
    
    
  • Live on "current income" from solar and other natural resources rather than by consuming the "principle" of those resources.
    
    
  • Maximize diversity in your business to increase flexibility.
    
    (* adapted from Bill McDonough)
    
    
    
• Assess the current reality of your company"s impact via a "take, make, waste" analysis. That is determine the total amounts of energy and materials that come into your business and which of these leave as products, which as organic wastes and which as toxic wastes.
  
  
• Recognize that a sustainability strategy can focus on both short and longterm horizons simultaneously. Short term financial gains made from driving waste out of the business can fund longer term strategic investments in sustainable products and services designed to meet the demands of tomorrows global markets. This is an ongoing journey. Wise business leaders will keep learning and developing.
  
  

ABOUT US | OUR APPROACH | WHAT WE OFFER | CONTACT US | LINKS

© 2004 by Seed Systems | Designed by Worldwide Impact, Inc.