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Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, and L. Hunter Lovins. Review by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, Ph.D.
The portrayal of sustainability as a synonym for “discomfort” and “impoverishment,”is a myth, according to Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins and L. Hunter Lovins. In their landmark study Natural Capitalism, the authors present not only the theoretical basis for doing business in more earth and people-friendly ways, but also provide a multitude of examples that demonstrate how sustainable business practices employed by real companies are creating comfort, jobs and wealth for shareholders, employees and the larger community. Hawken and the Lovinses convincingly demonstrate that adopting the principles of “natural capitalism” isn't so much about the “whats” (as is “What do I have to give up?) as it is about the “hows” and “whys” of producing goods and services. Foremost amongst these are “Why do we accept so much waste in both process and product?” and “How can we use natural cycles of creation, destruction and re-creation as more apt metaphors for our thinking about production and use?” The answers to these questions require a rethinking of corporate priorities, particularly in recognizing that natural resources are finite and becoming more scarce very quickly.
A prime example of such corporate rethinking outlined in this book is the story of Interface Corporation and its chairman Ray Anderson's move towards sustainability in the carpet business. In engaging in this process, Interface has not only adapted obvious eco-friendly methods such as reuse and recycling into its production, but more importantly has completely rethought its purpose. Now, instead of selling carpet (which generally ends up in a landfill), Interface leases “floor-covering services,” a move which allows it to reduce both wastes and costs, and to improve its bottom line.
Natural Capitalism is bursting with examples of companies like Interface that have adopted more sustainable metaphors into their thinking and found ways to maintain or increase profitability while greatly reducing their waste and exploitation of natural resources. Hawken, Lovins and Lovins succeed not only by providing information about the theories that underlie sustainability and their successful implementation, but also by constructing a new context for understanding the interrelationships between nature and human productivity. Sustainable business does not mean a bottom line that “freezes in the dark”; rather, it opens up myriad opportunities for profitability, productivity and creativity.
Jeff is an English professor by day, and a freelance writer by night. He also subscribes to the SustainableWays.com monthly newsletter and can be reached at mcintirj@lincoln.edu. Take a look at his homepage at GeoCities.com/jmcstras.
You might also want to check out Mid-Course Correction, which is Ray Anderson's personal account of how he turned Interface around and is now leading the industry as a sustainable--and successful--example.