Increasing leverage and learning

Policies Processes Procedures

Perceptions

Seven Benefits of Leading in aRegenerative Economy

1. There is significant money to be saved. Interface, Xerox 2. There is significant money to be made. Xerox, Toyota, GMCR3. You can provide your customers with a competitive edge.

Anvil/Nike4. Sustainability is a point of differentiation. Interface, BP,7th Gen5. You can shape the future of your industry. BP, Plug Power6. You can become a preferred supplier. Plug Power7. You can change your image and brand. Nike

Companies in every industry can successfully remake their reputations and brands through serious investments in

environmental initiatives.

Our Future• Reduce aggregate consumption.• Invest in the regeneration of living, social and

natural capital, the foundation of all real wealth.• Accelerate social innovations, adaptation and

learning by nurturing cultural diversity.• Reverse the “short-termism” that dominates capital

markets and many business decisions.• Increase long-term economic performance through

governance systems that promote collaborative stewardship of social, natural and intellectual capital.

Systems Thinking

A process for collective inquiry, which uncovers & helps people to see:

• Wholes rather than parts

• Interrelationships rather than things

• Interdependencies (circular causality) rather than linear cause & effect chains

• Processes of change (patterns) rather than snapshots

Systems Thinking

Value of Systems Thinking

• Surface assumptions which drive our actions.

• Learn about the consequences of our actions both intended and unintended over time.

• Increase our capacity for holding apparent opposites.

• Discover critical interfaces & leverage

• Builds shared understanding of complex issues which is critical for commitment and collaboration.

When to ApplySystems Thinking

Systems Thinking and Systems Sensing are useful when:

• Complex issues arise• Multiple points of view (typically different) need to be understood• Collaboration across traditional boundaries is desired• Desire exists to understand critical factors that lead to sustainable

growth• Repeated attempts have been made to solve an issue and it defies

solution (chronic)

“Sustainable development” and these emerging practices can reduce

unsustainability, BUTReducing

unsustainability does not equate to creating

sustainability

e.g. recyclable and recycling do not mean regenerative, resilient,

closed loop , sustainable!

Competence and attentiondecline (S-t-B)

The solution becomes the problem. (Addiction) R1

Sideeffect

S

S

B2

S

O Delay

O

Symptomaticsolution

Problemsymptom

S

B1

Fundamentalsolution

There’s More to the Story

R1

Slow erosion of resources,

delay of fundamental action

S

S

Reducing Unsustainability Does Not Produce Sustainability

Sustainability Path- e.g. true

closed loop, driven by

renewables

SustainableDevelopment

Path e.g. recycling

B2

S

O Delay

O

Eco-efficiency

Unsustainability

S

B1

Industrialecology

Competence and attentiondecline (S-t-B)

The solution becomes the problem. (Addiction) R1

False sense of solution, delay while resources erode,

lack of demand, market

S

S

B2

S

O Delay

O

Recyclable, recycling,One way street

Resource depletion,Waste accumulation

S

B1

Closed Loop,Consumer is supplier

There’s More to the Story