'Enoughism', Courageous Leadership, and the B Corp Movement

Hello!

I hope you enjoyed a lovely long weekend?

Planting potatoes and sowing seeds in our veggie patch was at the top of my list, together with spending valuable time with family and friends.

Being in the garden, or walking in the woods, is when I am most aware of our interdependence with nature and the consequences of our choices.

So when I saw an article this week about over-consumption, or ‘enoughism’ (a term coined by John Burgess) it struck a chord. It confirmed my thinking that for me, less is more.

?? It is only 50 years ago that a group of thinkers, led by Edward Bernays, developed psychological methods to convince us to buy more things we don’t need, with money we don’t have, to impress people we perhaps don’t know or even like.

It’s worth watching this fascinating video to understand how this approach has contributed to the social and environmental challenges we face.

Scale and pace

?? We know we need to radically reduce our carbon footprint. From IPCC?to BBC?the science is clear. As Jim Skea, IPCC Chair, says: “The scale and pace of climate change poses unprecedented challenges for humanity. “

We need to do more and faster.

I'm continually inspired by examples of courageous leadership.?Recently,?B Corp Tony’s Chocolonely scored top marks on the Chocolate Scorecard for the 5th time running, earning the Achievement Award for leading in practice and policy. Tony’s serves as a great example of clear purpose and courageous leadership, demonstrating how?the two often intertwine.

Could B Corp be the answer?

Business strategy is connected to material economic, environmental, social, and governance issues. It’s vital to understand the impact on the business in each of these areas, and of the business on this areas; otherwise known as double materiality.

Forward-thinking leaders are recognising the urgency to adapt to the rapidly changing needs and expectations of all stakeholders; notably our planet, customers, employees, communities (including supply chain), and investors.

Businesses are embarking on the B Corp journey as a structured way to understand and improve their impact on stakeholders, to demonstrate transparency and legal accountability, and be independently verified.

This has resulted in the exponential growth of the B Corp movement, and we are witnessing interest from businesses of all sizes and sectors in the B Corp support we offer at UK for Good.

Aristotle's quote "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts"?has more relevance today than ever. Whether through the B Corp movement, UK for Good community, or local networks, we all need to be more connected and smarter.

?? This month's online?UK for Good Member Forum featured a brilliant example of collaboration with Anna Rose Bowler from A Good Thing, an organisation making it easy for businesses to donate unwanted items to local charities. All using a simple app. Genius; avoiding waste to landfill, improving the impact of businesses, giving items a new life, saving charities money.

Please share your own stories of collaborative, courageous leadership, I’m keen to learn and support where we can.

Best wishes,

Donna

Co-CEO & B Leader