“If we think systematically, we will stop asking, “How much is nature worth?” We will know that we are a piece of nature ourselves.”
– Karl-Henrik Robert, Founder of The Natural Step
We can’t stop runaway climate change once it starts. But, we can change society – from unsustainable to sustainable lifestyles. Join with us to change one product, one business at a time.
Ours is a market research business. We help clients, through market input, to optimize the design of products that must be in alignment with price, promotion, distribution and brand position strategies in order to maximize profit. We now have an awesome responsibility: change the way we approach market research to prioritize environmental & social responsibility within our framework to ensure clients receive the right information for making positive change towards sustainable business success … and to influence other market researchers to do the same. Market research today must take a broader, smarter view … and we do.
Biomimcry: studying spider webs to make tougher body armor and rope
Basic science teaches us that plant life sustains all creatures on planet earth. Energy from the sun along with fresh air, fresh water and nutritious soil are the essential ingredients for sustaining all life on earth. This fact must be better recognized and respected by all organizations that wish to economically profit from society. The Fossil Fuel Resistance Movement sponsored by 350.org is just one of several environmental and social cause movements that are fortunately making us aware that business as usual is not okay, today.
New innovation techniques, like biomimicry, allow business to profit by following the lead of nature.
Five measureable characteristics of human well being (or a flourishing life):
Positive emotion
Engagement
Relationships
Meaning
Achievement
From positive psychologist Martin Seligman’s book, Flourish.
Organizations are not entitled to cause harm to employees, society or the environment, regardless of the law. Ethics or social consciousness is instilled in all human beings. In a society the rule of law is supposed to protect rights, ensure equal treatment among all. But, it doesn’t always work out that way. Some businesses worship economic profit as their only god. They choose to ignore basic principals of fairness and prioritize profit over human health. There is a price to pay for unethical action. Today, we read about these organizations, e.g. “too big to fail” financial institutions and wonder what is really going on, what went wrong? Real leaders, like Patagonia’s Yvon Chouinard, have ethics and they follow their conscious to ensure employees and society are not harmed by their business’ manufacturing processes, products or services. When new science indicates flaws, potential harm to humans or the environment they investigate and figure out a better way. The price to pay for unethical behavior is a hit to the business’ reputation, its’ brand value in economic terms.
We like organizations that monitor for, and steer clear of unethical behavior. They operate at the opposite end of the spectrum. Organizations whose mission is to help their customers flourish are today’s real leaders and tomorrow’s heroes.
Home built to Passive House specifications
To thrive a business must generate sufficient economic profit so it may invest in positive change. The inclusion of respect for the environment and social equity under the umbrella of the business mission is an extra cost, in pure economic terms but well worth the cost in quality of life terms for all employees, customers and society. To broaden its view of success, an organization must make more valuable products and services that are designed for long life, can biodegrade, be reused or at least recycled (back into the manufacturing process). In other words, a valuable product never sees a landfill (or the Great Pacific Garbage Patch) by design. These kinds of thoughtful, valuable and sustainable products command a premium price and each new transaction makes a contribution to brand equity.
e3
tomorrow’s success story,
today
While financial profit focus may be mainstream today, true leaders understand that a business that does good, is good business. By casting a wider net, an e3 business reaps greater rewards – it’s sought after by customers, employees, partners and investors. e3 businesses are tomorrow’s success stories, today.
Change – be a leader, be an e3 business.
