Businesses taking a future-oriented systems approach can connect the dots to align vision, business strategies, innovation and opportunities with planetary boundaries and the science based conditions of a sustainable world. My presentation draws on experience applying the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development and makes the link between different concepts such as the bio-economy, circular economy, sustainable development and principles of sustainability. Please get in contact if you'd like to learn more.

1. DESIGNING YOUR
BUSINESS FOR THE FUTURE
BIO-ECONOMY
Richard Blume
Senior Sustainability Advisor

2. Enable collaboration for systems change.
Help organisations get fit for the future.
Empower sustainability change-agents.
C ATA LY Z I N G C H A N G E

4. 1)Closing the Loop
!
2)Healthy Chemistry
!
3)Climate Stability
!
4)Water Stewardship
!
5)Thriving Communities
!
6)Athletes Change the Game

5. T H E TO P O F M O U N T S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y ?
Source: Interface

6. Getty Images/Shutterstock/NASA; illustration by Dave Mosher/Business Insider

7. Welcome to the “Anthropocene” or “Great Acceleration”
Source: IGBP

8. Stockholm Resilience Center!
Rockström et al, January 2015

9. A S U S TA I N A B L E
D E V E LO P M E N T =
...”development that meets the
needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own
needs.”

10. S C I E N C E - BA S E D P R I N C I P L E S F O R S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y ?
!
•Necessary (only what's essential)
•Sufficient (to avoid gaps / greenwashing)
•General (applicable at all scales and contexts)
•Concrete (to guide innovation on monday morning)
•Distinct (to aid progress monitoring)
Broman, G.I. and Robèrt, K.H., 2017. A framework for strategic sustainable development. Journal of Cleaner Production, 140, pp.17-31.

12. A S U S T A I N A B L E S Y S T E M

13. Systematically increasing
concentrations of substances
from the earth’s crust
Systematically increasing
concentrations of substances
produced by society
Systematically increasing
physical degradation of nature
Structural obstacles
that erode the
social fabric
S Y S T E M E R R O R S T O A D D R E S S

14. T H E E C O N O M Y O F T H E F U T U R E M U S T A D D R E S S F O U R
B A S I C P R O B L E M S .
Increasing concentrations of substances from the earth’s crust
(eg. heavy metals, phosphates, fossil fuels, etc.)
Increasing concentrations of substances produced by society
(eg. DDT, POPs, CFCs, nitrates, etc.)
Increasing physical degradation of nature
(eg. poor land management, overfishing, deforestation, etc.)
Human needs are not met & trust is eroded
(due to structural obstacles to health, influence, competence, impartiality & creation of
meaning)

15. Today
Future
B U S I N E S S E S T H AT WA N T TO B E PA RT O F T H AT
E C O N O M Y S H O U L D B E G I N W I T H T H E E N D I N M I N D
Vision
How will we offer
sustainable value?
Where’s the business
case for each step?

16. Stakeholders + Flows (inputs / outputs)
T H E N A S S E S S T H E P E R F O R M A N C E GA P S
AC RO S S T H E F U L L VA LU E C H A I N
An upstream lens to
design out the problems

17. SLCA
Raw
m
aterials
Postus
e
Productus
e
Distribution
Production
1
2
3
4
Sustainability -
Life Cycle
Assessment
POST USE
PRODUCT USE
DISTRIBUTION
SOURCING
PRODUCTION

18. BIOLOGICAL &
TECHNICAL
NUTRIENTS
CLOSING THE
LOOP
RESOURCE
SUBSTITUTION
PROCESS
OPTIMIZATION
CONSERVING
MATERIAL VALUE
CHANGING
MANAGEMENT
PRACTICES
ENHANCING
PRODUCT USE
CHANGING
BEHAVIORS

19. How would we know a truly sustainable
company if we saw one?
How can we tell how far away a company
is now from where it needs to be?
http://futurefitbusiness.org

20. How must a ‘typical company’ operate to ensure it meets the
system conditions?
The future-fit goals were derived by
examining all of the ways in which a
typical company must avoid
breaching the system conditions in
the course of its interactions with its
critical stakeholders.

22. It equips business leaders with a clear destination to aim for
It helps to guide strategic innovation
It offers actionable insight on nature/size of performance gaps
It inspires and highlights true sustainability leadership
The Benchmark is designed to be useful and usable

23. THANK YOU!
richard.blume@thenaturalstep.org
+46 768 432196
twitter: richy_roo
http://www.thenaturalstep.org