Serving Life
Author: Gil Friend Issue: 2025-01-15
Serving Life
by Gil Friend
There’s been a debate going on over at LinkedIn about “the business case for sustainability,” or, for some people, “the sustainability case for business.”
Unfortunately lots of folks misunderstand “business case.” It’s not for figuring out what to do; that comes from the people at the heart of the enterprise, whether you consider that to be executives, boards, shareholders, or workers. No, the business case is for figuring out **how **to do the what, and do it profitably (or financially sustainably, if you’re anti- or not-for-profit), and do it in a way that you can offer to key stakeholders (team-mates, boards, investors, etc.)
So I’m staying out of that debate; it feels too semantic, and not substantive enough. I’d rather ask companies, entrepreneurs, investors—and you:
how will you design and operate enterprises that serve life, that do business as though we belong to the living world, and that provide adequate returns to capital of all kinds (natural, human, social/relational, constructed and economic) Lest this seem too abstract, here are two very different approaches to “the business case”:
This insanity (have you got a better word for it?) from the masters of the universe:
Goldman Sachs asks in biotech research report: "Is curing patients a sustainable business model?" https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/11/goldman-asks-is-curing-patients-a-sustainable-business-model.htmlAnd this from a company showing what real business leadership looks like:
“Costco responded to shareholders requesting that it withdraw from DEI policies. The response was direct and to the point: Costco says, ‘Our board has considered this proposal and believes that our commitment to an enterprise rooted in respect & inclusion is appropriate & necessary’.” https://www.ibtimes.com/users-cheer-costco-after-company-refuses-remove-dei-policies-least-one-company-has-spine-3757088 Care to guess which I favor?
(As a businessman, not [just] a do-gooder: Costco beats Walmart on most key business performance metrics.)
Related:
- Gil Friend (author)
- 2025 (year)
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