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A New Nature of Business

For too long, our system has prioritized short-term profits over other crucial aspects that make a society prosper, such as environmental, human, and social capital. André Hoffmann’s vision for capitalism is one where business contributes to all these capitals, and where it helps build a sustainable, inclusive prosperity.

This “new nature of business” is made up of three foundations:

Become Nature Positive

Business cannot work against nature. Unsustainable and harmful extraction and pollution should be the exception for business activity, not the rule as they are today. That is not (only) a matter of morality or beliefs but also one of natural logic. Just like a tree cannot grow or even survive without deep roots in a healthy soil, so the business world cannot thrive if it undercuts its own roots and pollutes the soil it is built in.

Lead and let Lead

The final aspect of the new nature of business is to lead and let lead. It is about the recognition that to create a new economic system, and a new social contract to go along with it, many leaders need to step up, in all layers of society. Business leaders should set an example in their domain, and inspire more leaders in their companies to emerge, and let others, across society, take the lead in leading democracies and communities.

Build with Intent, and Measure your Impact

What gets measured gets managed. But up to the present day, we have mainly measured financial metrics in business. Business leaders today should and can reset this system error. They should build their company with intent. That effort should start with rethinking their purpose, and end with measuring environmental, social, and human impacts and dependencies, too, to account for all four capitals – financial, social, human, and environmental.