During this time of unprecedented environmental, cultural, and financial global disruption, can business save the world?
After decades of extraction of human and environmental resources and years of attempts to make business "sustainable," today's startups are rewriting the rules of business: how it's done, with whom, and, most importantly, for what purpose. We are entering an era when many enterprises have as their primary goal not to make money but to solve problems. From promoting responsible production and consumption to equitable opportunities for all, from encouraging climate action and good health and well-being, these businesses have moved beyond sustainability to regeneration.
In Working to Restore, reporter Esha Chhabra draws on her decades of reporting on sustainability to highlight pioneering grassroots entrepreneurs building a new blueprint for business in the 21st century. Working all around the globe, they are obsessed with rethinking, restructuring, and regenerating. For these entrepreneurs, it's about the process -- how was it made, by whom, using what resources, with what materials - and the problems those processes work to alleviate.
Examining efforts in nine areas- agriculture, waste, inclusivity in supply chain, inclusivity for the collective good, women, travel, health, energy, and finance - each chapter describes the challenges the world faces in each area and how business is helping to solve these problems. These efforts address a number of problems articulated by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) thus further demonstrating the global relevance of this work. Several companies are profiled illustrating a new perspective on business's powerful role to regenerate the world.
These entrepreneurs illustrate an evolution in all aspects of business. They obsess over supply chains. They hire folks that society says are "not employable." They travel far and wide to work with artisans, farmers, and manufacturers who create quality products. They share the company's profits equitably. They thoughtfully consider their footprint -- as a company, as a manufacturer, as an individual. They create businesses that solve problems. They ensure that their staff have as much time with their families as they do with their work.
These are businesses embracing the regenerative model essential to heal the world. They are beacons of hope and inspiration. They are working to restore.