The nature and role of business in an ecological economy

It is possible to draw a causal line from businesses to much of today’s environmental degradation and human inequality. However, if redesigned and engaged with system leverage points in mind, business can play a critical role in addressing human suffering and regenerating our planet’s life support systems. Through harnessing consumers’ altruistic motives and growing desire to both minimize and shift their consumption toward more sustainable options; by shifting investment dollars toward the social businesses and enterprises that seek to make a more positive impact and use the tools of business specifically to solve our most pressing social and environmental challenges; and by challenging the traditional corporate structure that has been bound up with shareholder primacy, we can imagine a future where ecological economists may be able to shift the direction of business away from destruction and towards regeneration.