Rethinking how social and environmental value (not just growth) is generated
I recently graduated with a Master’s in Business & Development Studies from Copenhagen Business School. These studies kicked off when the ink of the, then newly introduced, Sustainable Development Goals was still fresh. The last two year’s have thus strongly focused on the SDGs, teaching us the private sector’s role, responsibility and potential for reaching these. This was all with particular eye on the initiatives turned towards and deriving from the developing countries. Simultaneously, I have become environmentalist and strongly passionate about societal development, especially in developing countries and with regards to the SDGs 11 and 12, sustainable cities & communities and responsible consumption & production, respectively.
In order to reach the SDGs, people need to change behaviour and we need to drive change with action. “We” means individuals, world leaders, politicians, organisations, corporations, and other central actors. One thing I have noticed that tends to be forgotten is that behind every corporation, organisation, or any such entity is individuals. I believe that, in order for real change and action towards the SDGs to happen, “we” need to acknowledge and recognise that acts of individuals are corner stones to major disruption.
Our current production systems and people’s way of living, especially in the Western part of world, are highly influenced by old-fashioned deeply embedded believes that the “invisible hand” of markets and constant economic growth will ensure prosper. However, given the current state of the world with climate change being our generation’s biggest challenge, persisting poverty and hunger worldwide, it is time that we start questioning this entire “system” of thinking which we are embedded in. It is time that we realise that no invisible hand will solve these major challenges that we have created ourselves. We have to rethink and recreate our way of producing and consuming goods so that instead of speaking the “minimising negative impact”-rhetoric, we turn towards a “maximising positive impact”-rhetoric.
This takes huge amounts of efforts but instead of arguing “That’s just how it is”, we have to take steps towards stopping what we have put into the world: food waste, plastic addiction, single-use addiction, using unnecessary polluting chemicals, material overconsumption, and relying on socially and environmentally destructive production standards. We need people, organisations, companies, institutions, and myself to be the change we wish to see in the world, as well-phrased by Ghandi. It is time to acknowledge that real change comes from passionate, driven, and courageous persons that dare to take risk and go against the stream!
I have become particularly passionate about social entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs prove that individuals can be major drivers of positive change by running ventures centred on generating positive social and environmental value in inclusive ways, using minimal resources locally available, while at the same time aiming to benefit local communities and development. Examples are entrepreneurs in Eastern Africa upscaling discarded material, such as car tires into flip-flops and plastic waste into art pieces. Others include entrepreneurs using locally grown renewable resources, such as fruits and roots to create food-products and pharmaceutical products, while including people from poor community in the collection and harvesting of the raw resource.
Given the nature of social entrepreneurship, this has potential to lead the conversion of the production rhetoric towards the one of “maximising positive impact”. However, such ventures cannot carry the heavy lifting of reaching the SDGs alone. But they can inspire worldwide to rethink the value of resources that are readily and locally available as well as the potentials of production and enterprises to generate social and environmental value, not just growth.
Reaching the SDGs require individuals involved in all types of activities and entities to rethink procedures, structures and deeply embedded practices to finally enable the planet to flourish. Social entrepreneurship is one means to create positive development while being socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable. This way of shaping processes and activities around generating social and environmental value for the surrounding societies portrays a mindset and creativity that defy the thought that the free market will solve all issues and that profit maximisation is the only way forward, while at the same time showing the potential of markets and the private sector to solve world’s global issues. Big corporations (run by individuals), for instance, could implement such value generating thinking throughout supply chains where a great impact of our production systems come from, because this means that the extreme potentials for embedding the SDGs are also lying open. It’s just about joining the movement for a better future!
I am excited to participate in UNLEASH with so many and diverse talents and experts that have joined this movement for saving the planet! I am convinced that with such a group of people and the great frame of UNLEASH, we will be able to develop feasible and real-life solutions during the Lab, that afterwards can contribute to value generation worldwide. I cannot wait to meet this group of inspiring and passionate young people and participate in no less than 9 motivating and challenging days with other SDGs enthusiasts!
Thanks for reading :-)
//Diana Lundgren
