Do you ever get the nagging feeling you’ve been chasing the wrong dream? It’s a particularly pertinent question in the week we head back to work and school after the summer hiatus, as the inevitable questioning of life choices temporarily distracts us from recommitting to life’s eternal treadmill...... Thankfully it’s not happened to me for a while – probably not since the days I dyed my hair black as I pursued my dream of becoming a Goth, only to realise the Hip Hop crews always seemed to be having a lot more fun, spinning around on their portable squares of lino as the beats pumped out of their gleaming sound systems. They had a magnetic energy and a flagrant disregard for rules and conventions as they created vibrant new forms of street art and dancing that bordered on gymnastic routines. And unlike Goths, they were happy to be out in the sunshine. This was going to be my tribe....
The dream that never was...
Of course, it never was. A proneness to dizziness and a woeful lack of upper body strength put paid to that particular dream. However, a few observations this past couple of weeks in the business world made me think about the similarities with the ongoing pursuit of the sustainability dream. There’s a growing view amongst the green chatterati that we’ve all been chasing the wrong goals and that we should all be aiming to become ‘regenerative’ because being sustainable will not be enough. Apparently, a survey says that nearly 80% of consumers prefer “regenerative” brands to “sustainable” brands. Gen Y and Z consumers find “sustainability” too passive and lacking ambition. They prefer regenerative businesses and brands that pursue renewal, restoration and growth.
Whereas sustainable brands aim to just do less harm, regenerative businesses push beyond sustainability and strive to do more good to society and the planet. Specifically, they ‘seek to boost the health and vitality of people, places and the planet simultaneously in a synergistic manner’. Of course, if you look hard enough, you’ll find another study that shows how, in doing so, regenerative businesses can achieve far better financial performance and impact than their sustainability-focused peers.
Coincidentally, I also recently spotted Wildfarmed’s “life-changing” bread in Waitrose, made with wheat grown in line with their own regenerative standards. Of course, regenerative agriculture is not a new concept – indeed, most of its practices involve going back to the good old days – but it seems to be more prevalent now as more brands pursue regenerative supply chains. As well as regenerating nature’s ecosystems to leave them stronger and more productive, communities and people can be also be ‘regenerated’ by promoting better living conditions and longer life expectancy. Of course, people, places and planet are all intrinsically linked, so businesses that fully embrace becoming regenerative expect to make an impact on all three.
So perhaps it’s time we set our sights a little higher and consider sustainability a stepping stone on the path to becoming regenerative? There’s something about it that just feels more Hip Hop than Goth – more vibrant and more likely to leave a positive, far-reaching legacy. Maybe I’ve finally found my tribe...?
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