What is Business?

Business is an activity created by humans, for the purpose of human thriving. We derive livelihood from business, and also a sense of purpose, and joy from the expression of our skills. Business is fundamentally a social activity, embedded within the context of human society. In all the talk about markets, indicators, etc., it is easy to forget that simple truth.

Human society, along with our entire universe, is a living system. Our current view of business as separate from the rest of life, is a result of the dominant reductionist scientific paradigm in which we take things apart under the assumption that each part has a separate existence. Bringing business back into connection requires us to use a different paradigm in which the universe is seen as a "web of life": parts that are interconnected into networks. We, therefore, based our work on living-systems principles, which is described in detail on the Living-Systems Principles page. 

What is Regeneration?

The current scientific paradigm of reductionism separates humans from nature, and business from society.  Our attempts to correct that has evolved over the past decades taking us from sustainability (less bad), to restorative (humans operating on nature), to reconciliatory (humans as an integral part of nature), and finally to regenerative (humans participating in nature and co-evolving the whole system). The page Why Regeneration? has more details.

Regeneration is about ensuring that today’s structures will support life tomorrow

in all its vitality and heterogeneity,

because today’s structures will become tomorrow’s infrastructures.

To clarify, by ‘structure’ and ‘infrastructure’ we refer to physical, mental, conceptual, tangible and intangible 'things'. Systems have structural elements in them.

Regenerative Business = Business as a Living System

A key property of living systems is constant adaptation along with the context within which they exist, while keeping its  interconnections healthy. Businesses, in order to survive and thrive, must also do the same. Regenerative business is a way of being in business that brings it into regenerative relationship with its socio-economic-ecological context. Read details on the Regenerative Business page.

Given the central role that business plays in human activities, there are increasing voices calling for business to become more responsible. We propose that a regenerative approach is suitable for all types of businesses not just those tackling socio-economic-ecological challenges ('impact businesses'). The regenerative approach can make businesses more context-responsive thus more risk-prepared, and at the same time create fewer negative side-effects, provide greater resilience, and make businesses more responsible citizens of the world.

Why Regenerative Investing?

We are in a polycrisis: climate change, economic inequity, resource shortage, declining agricultural output, etc. Business has a large part to play in how we got here. But, it is our thesis, that business can be an instrument of reform, provided that we re-think how business is done.

Within the broader business framework, which we call the economy, the creative energy that seeks out new markets, invents new products, pushes for new policies and creates growth is investing. Currently, the practice of investing has only one goal: profit.  What if we could change that? 

What if the practice of investing could itself become regenerative? Wouldn't the creative energy then seek not just profit but also systemic health? Wouldn't we reform the entire economic system? 

What is Regenerative Investing?

Regenerative investing is not just about investing in regenerative businesses.

The investor has a special relationship with the investee, which too often is dominated by the investor; sometimes going so far as to change the goals of the investee itself. If we were to view their relationship as complementary, we can then create a dynamic partnership that is able to adapt, evolve, and be resilient. 

Regenerative investing is an investing practice that seeks to connect business to its socio-economic-ecological context such that it enables thriving for both itself and its context.

How is Regenerative Investing done?

The Regenerative Investing Framework creates the capability for a business to grow regenerative relationships within its socio-economic-ecological context.