Climate track:

Introduction into sustainability

Understanding sustainability businesses

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 Introduction into sustainability
Understanding sustainability businesses

What does sustainability mean? What is the goal and the definition of a sustainable economy? What
are the UN Sustainable Development Goals related to climate impact? What are the principles of
systems thinking and how to apply them in business? Which companies have successfully built
sustainable businesses? … and is sustainability enough?

Let’s start with question #1: What does sustainability mean?

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 Google search:

à https://www.britannica.com/topic/Brundtland-Report

OK, but what’s the problem? Why sustainability?

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 Why Sustainability – what‘s the problem?

Lots of problems - but is this the cause or are these effects?

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 Why Sustainability – what‘s the problem?

Those problems result from human behavior

Because either
- we don’t know à lack of understanding the consequences
- we have other priorities à lack of capabilities / resources (survival mode)
- we have other goals à lack of responsibility (different values, doubt, ignorance)

Several models attempt to explain such behavior (examples)

- Maslow’s hierarchy of needs à on an individual level
-The Tragedy of the commons à on a societal level
- Negative externalities à on an economical level

What if we still carry on?

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Economics = household management
 Why Sustainability – what‘s the problem?

Models explaining human behavior (examples):

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs The tragedy of the commons Negative externalities

à https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html à https://www.sustainable-environment.org.uk/Earth/Commons.php à https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_introduction-to-

economic-analysis/s08-01-external-effects.html

What if we still carry on?

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 What if we just carry on?
Let’s look at the scientific data: global inequality
World Income inequality

à https://www.jasonhickel.org/blog/2019/3/17/two-hump-world
à https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distribution_of_wealth#/media/
File:Global_Wealth_Distribution_2020_(Property).svg
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 What if we just carry on?
Let’s look at the scientific data: climate change

Let’s change instead!

à https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/

à https://climate.nasa.gov/climate_resources/125/infographic-sea-level-rise/
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 What if we just carry on?
Let’s look at the scientific data: resource depletion
The nine planetary boundaries

à https://www.overshootday.org/newsroom/press-release-june-2020-english/

à https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/planetary-boundaries/
Founder Institute – Confidential Information the-nine-planetary-boundaries.html
 What if we just carry on?

The exact results or consequences are unclear,

but it is highly likely that humankind will go extinct

(and will cause a lot of havoc on our planet until then).

Which does not imply that life on earth will go extinct.

Let’s change!

Bonus question: Why should humankind survive in the first place?

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 How to change to Sustainability

Some areas to support change:

Since either people

- do not know à improve understanding / education
- can not à improve people's quality of living
- do not want à incentivize change / promote sustainability values

To move to a sustainable economy, let’s look at activities from These are great starting
points for sustainable
- Governments /NGOs à programs or … business ideas!
- Established and startup Business à business model or technological innovation

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 United Nations SDGs

The Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs),
also known as the Global
Goals, were adopted by the
United Nations in 2015 as a
universal call to action to
end poverty, protect the
planet, and ensure that by
2030 all people enjoy
peace and prosperity.

à https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals
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 EU EAP to 2030

The proposal for an 8th Environment Action Programme

(EAP) aims to accelerate the transition to a climate-neutral,
resource-efficient and regenerative economy, which gives
back to the planet more than it takes. It recognizes that
human wellbeing and prosperity depend on the healthy
ecosystems within which we operate.
Building on the European Green Deal, it has the following
six priority objectives
achieving the 2030 greenhouse gas emission reduction
target and climate neutrality by 2050.

à https://ec.europa.eu/environment/strategy/environment-action-programme-2030_en

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 Sustainable economy

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à https://www.wwf.eu/what_we_do/sustainable_economies/
 Sustainable economy
and sustainability businesses
Patagonia mission statement is “we’re in business to save our home planet.”
This is the new corporate mission statement of this company from the previous
one “build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire
and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”
Patagonia was led by this statement for over 45 years, since its foundation by
Yves Chouinard in 1973.
It’s not the most poetic Mission statement, but it captures the foundational
principles of how they do business and drives bold initiatives such as ‘Don’t Buy
this Jacket’, Worn Wear and ‘The President Stole your Land’.
The one statement is enough: no need here for an additional set of values.

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 Sustainable economy
and sustainability businesses

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 Sustainable economy
Concepts for sustainable development
The circular economy The doughnut economy

à https://eitrawmaterials.eu/02_23_ce-final-4/#iLightbox[postimages]/0 à https://ged-project.de/globalization/doughnut-economics-solving-inequality-
ecological-degradation-with-a-new-economic-model/

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… but is sustainable enough?
Economics = household management
 Regenerative economy
Concepts for regenerative development

à https://beyond-social.org/wiki/index.php/Regenerative_Economy à https://capitalinstitute.org/8-principles-regenerative-economy/

A regenerative economy must be the goal.

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 Chris Hadfield
Advice from an experienced astronaut:

Founder Institute – Confidential Information à http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/international/english/hadfield_chris.htm

à https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-how-would-they-bring-the-international-space-station-back-down-to-earth-140066
 The “new” animal:
THAT’S your goal à

Call to action

https://folkdays.de

https://unown-fashion.com

https://www.re-nt.com

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à https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/05/inside-the-
à https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/322407 effort-to-turn-startups-into-zebras-not-
unicorns/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ
 Thank you!

Gregor A. Erkel
Managing Director

be ventures Berlin GmbH

Herwarthstrasse 12 12207 Berlin Germany
+49 160 897 4082 ge@beventures.berlin www.linkedin.com/in/gerkel

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