In this article Charles Eisenstein speaks abouta relatioship between current business norms and ecological sustainability. I read into something that I’ve been thinking and saying for some time: I see a future where for-financial-profit incorporations are … well … a thing of the past. There are plenty of other profits to be made … but money (within our current money system) cannot continue to be a profit-indicator.
“Unfortunately, nine times out of ten, the interests of profit blatantly conflict with the interests of people and planet …
By appealing to the business case for sustainability, we limit green practices to the very narrow subset that involve little cost, little risk, and little disruption to business as usual …
Let’s stop pretending. If your company is going to make a significant step toward sustainability, it probably won’t make business sense, at least not in any way that can be predicted or quantified. You will have to trust something other than the numbers …
To take this next step always requires at least a little courage, because it goes against familiar practice and predictable financial self-interest. Someday, hopefully soon, we must change the business environment to end the opposition between profit and ecological well-being … There will always be a next step that doesn’t make sense by the numbers.
Herein lies a very different sort of “business case” for sustainability. It comes from questions like, “Who are you, really?” “What do you care about?” and, “What do you serve?” From a deep consideration of such questions, courage is born.
The other business case, the one based on profit, is just a tactical device … “