ABSTRACT

We live in unprecedented times. Climate change and ecosystem collapse are altering our world beyond recognition, and a growing global population is exacerbating the pressure on the resources that power our economies. How should the private sector respond to the new risks and uncertainties of our Crowded Planet?

Frugal Value contests the notion that companies can rise to the great challenges of our time by adopting so-called 'sustainable business' practices. Instead, the acute ecological crisis requires an all-round rethink of what business does, and how it does it. This book explores what business responsibility looks like today, and how it could be put into practice through far-reaching changes to companies, ranging from new approaches to product design and business models to reconfiguration of operations and innovative ownership structures.

Frugal Value provides practitioners and scholars with the perspective and tools they need to design companies that help drive the socio-economic changes so urgently required for a sustainable and just world.

part 1|28 pages

The Crowded Planet

chapter 1|14 pages

The economy-in-Planet

chapter 2|12 pages

The transition to the economy-in-Planet

part 2|29 pages

Products and services

chapter 3|7 pages

The purpose and design of products

part 3|37 pages

Activities and business models

chapter 5|13 pages

Product stewardship

chapter 6|21 pages

Product access

part 4|30 pages

Operations and supply chains

chapter 8|18 pages

The case for worker-centredness

part 5|28 pages

Ownership structure, financing and legal form

part 6|24 pages

The purpose, scope and limits of business

chapter 11|10 pages

Profit, financial and worthwhile