WWF: Changing the game

A new report by WWF highlights some of the world’s most innovative green businesses

di Vita Sgardello

When the credit crunch hit societies worldwide, economies struggled to keep on functioning. Four years on we are still trying to explain what happened and find ways of strengthening national and domestic finances. When the ecological crunch hits, however, we will likely have far less time to seek and put in place solutions, which is why reports like that just published by the WWF, “Green Gamechangers” are so important.

“New business thinking is key to survival and success in a fast-changing world, and business innovation is key in driving sustainability,” says Dax Lovegrove, head of business and industry relations at WWF UK.
“We believe the business community will provide a lot of the solutions to help us move towards a sustainable future. In the face of escalating climate change and an ecological recession, businesses will need to innovate more to build resilience and maximise on opportunities.”

Don’t be scared by the 90-plus pages of the report, which can be downloaded for free hereas the idea behind it is to provide real life examples of scalable innovations whose logic and strategy can be applied anywhere. A brief overview of what green business means (reducing the amount of resources it takes to produce things and supporting open loop processes that encourage recycling industrial waste like heat, materials or liquid as well as restoring and maintaining natural habitats and producing clean energy), is followed by a concise but detailed description of the world’s 50 most innovative green businesses.

A few examples include Swapstyle, an online platform which makes it easy to swap used and new clothes, accessories and household items in exchange for other items. Global Alliance for Banking on Values, an international partnership between banks (including Triodos, Banca Etica and Culture Bank) to deliver sustainable development around the world. And finally Worn Again, a company that upcycles industrial waste and other used materials (like postman jackets) and turns them into bags.

Although the report was published in September WWF is committed to creating a bank of innovative gamechanging business models and is encouraging readers to send in their stories.

Find out more: www.wwf.org.uk


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