#13: Can Companies be Net Positive: A Conversation with Andrew Winston

Corporations and businesses have driven consumerism in the United States and the World since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.  Having more and larger has become the sign of success.  Shareholder value, short-term profit and a market-driven economy were assumed to be good for all. 

As the climate warms, sea levels rise, biodiversity declines and income inequality widen we are becoming more aware that we live on a planet with limited resources and environmental tipping points. Many people are beginning to ask the question: What is the role of companies in contributing to this problem and how can they help in finding solutions.

 Andrew Winston and Paul Polman in their book “Net Positive” answer the question How do courageous companies thrive by giving more than they take.  In this conversation Andrew takes us on his journey of writing this book with Paul Polman the former CEO of Unilever where they share the importance of companies taking ownership of all impacts and consequences, operating for the long-term benefit of all, creating positive returns for all stakeholders, driving shareholder value as a result, and partnering with others to drive systemic changes.

 Andrew Winston is a globally recognized expert on megatrends and building companies that thrive by serving the world.  He was named to Thinkers50 list of the top management thinkers in the world. He is the author of the bestsellers Green to Gold, The Big Pivot, and most recently co-authored “Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More than They Take”. Net Positive was one of the Financial Times’ Best Business Books of the Year. Andrew received degrees in economics, business, and environmental management from Princeton, Columbia, and Yale. 

We would like to thank our sponsor Elders Action Network “Building a movement of elders to address the environmental, governance and social issues of our time”.

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