The success of Shein, the ultra-fast fashion company, brings up important questions about the ability of sustainable innovation to compete and win the hearts and minds of young consumers. Shein may be the new unsustainable kid on the block, but the lessons it offers are invaluable to anyone involved in sustainability in general and sustainable innovation in particular. — I don’t know how you feel about Shein, the ultra-fast fashion company that has become ultra-successful with Gen Z, but I think this brand could be the best thing that happened to the sustainability movement.

What does it mean to redesign Amazon as a degrowth business? Can a fashion brand use degrowth principles to be more successful? While these questions may sound very far from the reality of sustainability-as-usual they represent the next critical challenge for the sustainability movement: Creating thriving degrowth business models. Are we ready for D-Corps? — What would a degrowth business model for Amazon could look like? What would it mean for the company to adopt a business model grounded in “a planned reduction of energy and resource use designed to bring the economy back into balance with the living world in a way that…

Let’s face it — we are not winning for now the battle on sustainability. One reason is that we’re struggling to articulate a sustainable future that we can be excited about. With sustainability losing its mojo (if it even had one, to begin with) it’s time to figure out quickly how to rewild people’s imagination. — Let’s face it — we are not winning for now the battle on sustainability. Yes, you can read the news every day on this or that positive development, but overall key trends are still moving in the wrong direction — from planetary boundaries that exceed safe limits to deforestation in…

Many companies are committed to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but what is the value of the SDGs in business? While the SDGs have been considered as a North Star and a strategic tool helping companies pursue a meaningful sustainability agenda, in reality, it seems like they fail to do so. Therefore, it is time to reconsider if and what role the SDGs should have in business. — Earlier this year the GRI published a study looking into business contributions to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). …

2021 was the year of the Great Resignation. Will 2022 be the year of the Great Awakening, where we see a growing number of companies move away from sustainability-as-usual and adopt awakened sustainability as an organizing principle? And if so, what are some of the key signals of a sustainability-first mindset we may see in 2022? — In 2021 millions of people around the world quit their job. This trend was termed the “Great Resignation” or the “Big Quit.” However, resignation or quitting may have a negative connotation — quitting, for example, is “associated with pessimism, laziness, and lack of confidence,” Derek Thompson wrote on the Atlantic…

Starting in January I’ll be having office hours every Wednesday to discuss ideas, questions, and thoughts related to my new book “Rethinking Corporate Sustainability in the Era of Climate Crisis — A Strategic Design Approach.” — After my book “Rethinking Corporate Sustainability in the Era of Climate Crisis — A Strategic Design Approach” was published in July I had the pleasure of talking with many people and organizations about the ideas and frameworks I share in the book.

What do climate warriors do in the holidays when it comes to shopping? This time of the year brings up once again the dilemma of individual vs. collective action, offering both a challenge and an opportunity to rethink how to become more effective in the fight over climate change. — The holiday season has never been easy for those who are committed to combatting climate change (aka climate warriors). And this year is no different. …

In his 2021 letter to CEOs, Larry Fink, the CEO and chairman of BlackRock, the world’s largest investment manager, wrote: “No issue ranks higher than climate change on our clients’ lists of priorities.” His comment reflected a growing unease with how the climate crisis is already disrupting businesses. Companies’ concerns…

Curious to find the answer? Join me, Maxine Bédat (New Standard Institute), Asheen Phansey (Eleven Radius), Sesh Vedachalam (frog), and Jen van der Meer (Parsons School of Design) for an online panel on September 24th, where we will discuss why companies need to move away from ”sustainability-as-usual”, what will come next and how to make change happen! — Here is a prediction: Climate change will become the defining issue for companies this decade (even if CEOs are slow to recognize it). …