Profit and planet

There can be little doubt that we are either on the cusp of a great transformation or a great disaster. For decades, we have heard warnings about climate change and the future of the planet. Meanwhile, growing inequalities have fueled social tensions.

Too often portrayed as the embodiment of the problem, the corporate world is in fact our only hope. In this timely book, Fabien Mathieu and Gilles Vermot Desroches argue that the only realistic way of meeting the challenges we face is through a business-led innovation revolution. Contrary to what we are often told, we don't need to choose between the profit motive and the future of the planet: the former can help guarantee the latter.

It is possible to be profitable without destroying the planet and eroding social bonds. In any case, if we don't preserve the environment we live and work in, there will be no profits to be made. It has long been unthinkable to consider investing in a project without looking into the economic fundamentals and projected earnings. It will soon be impossible to envisage backing projects that don't have a positive social and environmental impact. It's a challenge that concerns us all: this time it's personal, not just business.