Natural Capitalism: The Next Industrial Revolution - Softcover

Paul Hawken; Amory B. Lovins; L. Hunter Lovins

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1853837636 ISBN 13: 9781853837630

Publisher: Earthscan Ltd, 2000

Synopsis

The first Industrial Revolution inaugurated 200 years of unparalleled material development for humankind. But the costs and the consequences are now everywhere evermore apparent: the living systems on which we depend are in retreat. Forests, topsoil, grasslands, wetlands, oceans, coral reefs, the atmosphere, aquifers, tundra and biodiversity are limiting factors - the natural capital on which all economic activity depends. And they are all in decline. Add to that a doubling of the world's population and a halving of available per capita resources in the first 50 years of the 21st century and the inevitability of change is clear. This work offers forms of industry and commerce that can not only enhance enormously the wellbeing of the world's growing population, but will reverse the destruction and pollution of nature and restore the natural processes so vital to the future. The book introduces four central and interrelated strategies necessary to perpetuate abundance, avert scarcity and deliver a solid basis for social development. The first of these is: Radical Resource Productivity - getting two, four, or even ten times as much from the same quantities of materials and energy. A revolution in efficiency that provides the most immediate opportunities for businesses to grow and prosper. The second strategy is: Ecological Redesign - eliminating the very idea of waste by designing industrial systems on the model of ecological ones. Instead, for example, of digging minerals out of the ground only to return them to landfill at the end of the product cycle, industrial processes will be designed to reuse materials constantly, in closed circles. The third strategy involves creating: A Service and Flow Economy - shifting from an economy of goods and purchases to one of service and flow, and redefining the relationship between producer and consumer. Affluence will no longer be measured by acquisition and quantity, but by the continuous receipt of quality, utility and performance. The final strategy is: Investing in Natural capital - reversing the worldwide ecosystem destruction to restore and expand the stocks of natural capital. If industrial systems are to supply an increasing flow of services in the future, the vital flow of services from living systems will have to be maintained or increased as well.

About this title

Review:

In Natural Capitalism, three top strategists show how leading-edge companies are practising "a new type of industrialism" that is more efficient and profitable while saving the environment and creating jobs. Paul Hawken and Amory and Hunter Lovins write that in the next century cars will get 200 miles per gallon without compromising safety and power, manufacturers will relentlessly recycle their products and the world's standard of living will jump without further damaging natural resources. "Is this the vision of a utopia? In fact, the changes described here could come about in the decades to come as the result of economic and technological trends already in place," the authors write. They call their approach "natural capitalism" because it's based on the principle that business can be good for the environment. For instance, Interface of Atlanta doubled revenues and employment and tripled profits by creating an environmentally friendly system of recycling floor coverings for businesses.

The authors also describe how the next generation of cars is closer than we might think. Manufacturers are already perfecting vehicles that are ultra-light, aerodynamic and fuelled by hybrid electric systems. If natural capitalism continues to blossom, so much money and resources will be saved that societies will be able to focus on issues like housing, contends Hawken, author of a book and US TV series called Growing a Business, and the Lovinses, who co- founded and directed the Rocky Mountain Institute, an environmental think tank in the US. The book is a fascinating and provocative read for public policy makers, as well as environmentalists and capitalists. --Dan Ring, Amazon.com

Review:

"'There's a new book out I commend to you called Natural Capitalism... This is a huge deal' President Clinton; 'An analysis of how capitalism would work if the world's "natural capital" were properly valued, resulting in a drastic reduction in resource use by industrialised countries' The Financial Times; 'A powerful, visionary statement by three of the world's leading consultants on the greening of business' The Times Higher Education Supplement; 'If any book can be said to usher in a hopeful new age, it's this' Jonathon Porritt, Director, Forum for the Future; 'Leaves every reader with the hope that the old battle between business and the environment can reach a peaceful and constructive conclusion' Frances Cairncross, The Economist; 'The whole concept of natural capital manages to be both pragmatic and idealistic which, in my book, adds up to inspirational' Anita Roddick, The Body Shop International; 'This is smart, strategic thinking' The Independent; 'Includes a wealth of real examples... The authors provide a boldly practical way forward' The Times; 'Points the way to a world where the profit motive and social responsibility march hand in hand' John Quelch, Dean, London Business School"

About this edition

• Publisher: Earthscan Ltd
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 1853837636
• ISBN 13: 9781853837630
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 416