The Transmutation of

the Secret Society

of Sustainability

Presentation by B. Laszlo Karafiath, Cultural Alchemist &

Joe Brewer, Change Strategist for Humanity, Planet Earth

This is the “ordinary world” that is familiar

to everyone. How does it work out so far?

Not very well. It doesn’t value nature.

Creates pollution and other harms for its

citizens.It is leading humanity down a bad

path. And WE here never felt fully part of

this world where we had to make a living.

Welcome to the World

Of

Corporate Capitalism

Somewhere along the way, you had your

“Blue Marble” moment… seeing that the

world is interconnected, sacred, beautiful.

And it is under threat. That is why we are

here, in this room.

Awakening

This was the moment where you were

called to service.

Calling

• And we maybe refused the first call and your

reasons were good ones and they made sense at

the time. There were bills to pay. Making ends meet.

A family to feed. Children to put through college.

Though you weren’t really happy with this path, it

was the safe one to take because things weren’t

that urgent then. So you took a “normal job” and

went with the flow… for a while.

5

A mentor arrived! As you found others who

saw the world in the same way they began

to guide us and help make a meaningful

difference. No longer alone in our views,

you began to feel empowered to take

action. So you set off on a journey to

discovery or create a better world.

Companionship

And this is how you ENTERED the

“magical world” where things are different,

they can be better, WE can do something

to fix the problems of the ordinary world.

You’ve crossed the threshold and are

working to make corporations sustainable.

Progress has been made… but not

enough. The world is improving but a lot

more needs to be done and the tools you

have simply aren’t enough.

Welcome to Eco-World

It’s been hard. There is not so much

TRUST around. The inside lingo doesn’t

work for customers. Solutions vary by

sector.

You found unlikely ALLIES in procurement

folks who work on supply chains, metrics

for raw material inputs, and engineering

solutions to technical problems. But the

BOARDS of directors are still all about

shareholder value, a non-existent category

frankly in the age of machine trading.

Allies and Enemies

So you put together an ambitious plan

relying on your allies went for the big prize:

reforming the corporation. Slowly turning

the big ship to the right direction.

The Big Push

But you have to realize the METRICS

ONLY will not help, this isn’t a technical

problem, it’s a cultural one. Technocratic

language doesn’t help with the customers.

And the POWERS that be are stronger

than ever. You realize you maybe took a

knife to a gun-fight. Money still talks. Your

insights are not recognized by CFO’s and

investors. Competition among investors

shapes larger corporate evolution patterns.

Ordeal

So we have to re-group. Find new allies.

But now it is happening. That is why we

are here in the room! The powerful

awakening starts to grow cultural roots. We

know what are the big questions needed to

be answered before change can start to

happen. And this approach has to be

rooted in deep cultural understanding and

looks at the big cultural waves to make the

right first moves.

Re-group! Power Up!

Transforming culture and transmuting

corporations is BIG. But we are in this to

win this. Its bigger than sustainable product

lines, customer relationships, indexes or

brand redesign. This challenge requires

deep thinking and planned cultural change.

To achieve change we first have to change

the culture, the core beliefs.

We are in It to Win It !

And we have to be the change. We have to

start with ourselves. People don’t trust

corporations. So they see CSR and

corporate sustainability as lipstick on a pig.

To many of them it is greenwashing.

We Must Face Our Shadows

• Fewer than one in five people trust

business or government leaders to tell the

truth when confronted with a difficult issue

- Edelman (2013)

Test One

Working together with environmental

organizations and researchers,

our young startup has been careful to

identify current and future plant sources

that truly deliver improved sustainability

performance and do not compete with

food crops.

Test One

Working together with environmental

organizations and researchers,

Coca-Cola has been careful to identify

current and future plant sources that truly

deliver improved sustainability

performance and do not compete with

food crops.

Test Two

Our startup’s Green Room is a platform

for an ongoing conversation with NGOs,

suppliers and others who want to share

ideas and partner with us in helping

people live better around the world.

Test Two

The Walmart Green Room is a platform

for an ongoing conversation with NGOs,

suppliers and others who want to share

ideas and partner with us in helping

people live better around the world.

World Domination of the Corporation

The 1318 transnational

corporations that form the

core of the economy…

Superconnected companies

are red, very connected

companies are yellow. The

size of the dot represents

revenue.

Image: PLoS One

A Great Battle of Ideas

Dr. Joanna Boehnert, Director of EcoLabs

Entrenched interests

have been fighting

back…

...and winning for a

long time!

Robert J. Brulle, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA

Massive Investments in Status Quo

Billions spent in dark

money networks to

confuse and stall

action...

...a web of PR

against sustainability

efforts.

Evolution of the Sustainability MemeThe meme created its niche and is now reshaping its environment.

Engineering + Technical Concerns → Metrics for Management → Process

Improvement → New Organizational Structures and Practices

http://sloanreview.mit.edu/reports/sustainability-

strategy/commitment/

http://sloanreview.mit.edu/reports/sustainability-strategy/introduction/

Some 70% of respondents who say their companies have put sustainability on the

management agenda say they have done so in the past six years -- and from this group,

20% say it’s happened in the past two years.

You snuck in a Trojan Horse...

...updating DNA of business.

The Homework is Done

● Mapping out “footprints” in

supply chains

● Studying “green values” in

consumer behavior

● Investing in renewables,

taking inspiration from nature

Yet all of this has been “insider lingo” that evolved the discourse to where it is

today. This history matters -- it tells you why it has been so hard to talk with

outsiders.

Sustainability has been framed!

● Was viewed as environmental issue, should be core business strategy

Sustainability has been framed!

● Understood as technical problem, but should be cultural norms

Sustainability has been framed!

● Was thought of as green products, but should be new industries

Sustainability has been framed!

● Misconceived as outside of economy, but should be foundation for economy

Sustainability has been framed!

● Considered to be a market segment, but should be full-blown brand identity

So What’s Next?

And Yet -- Real Progress!

Transcends “green” framing…

goes into health, family, the future

instead.

Tipping Points in Culture

To see meme spreading, we look at dynamic patterns --

evolution, selection, emergence:

Now we need to look closer...

...see emerging patterns.

Let’s Talk!