Markus Linder’s Post

We are proud to say that inoqo is one of 375 Austrian companies supporting the EU’s Nature Restoration Law and its implementation in Austria. To learn more, read the recent interview with our Founder & CEO, Markus Linder, on brutkasten, where he shares his views on this important milestone for the climate. 🌿 But what’s even better is that your company can show its support by backing the initiative from Blühendes Österreich - BILLA gemeinnützige Privatstiftung, here: https://lnkd.in/ddnhsJy9 #Sustainability #EU #NatureRestorationLaw #EnvironmentalProtection #Austria #SustainableDevelopment #Ecosystems

I don’t have an opinion on whether this approach is right or wrong, but if it were ever to exist it would need: - to focus on scale from the start AND throughout. The Kevin Morgan challenge gets solved by smarter thinking and more rigorous practice (it’s not difficult, it’s just hard, dedicated work) around scaling. - to say no to at least 95% of the things it could do. One of our innovation challenges is that we’re spread too thin in Wales (Cymru Can does a good job of moving away from this); and - to focus on the benefits of innovation rather than the means and to ensure these are widely felt.

Hoosiers, it's time to embrace #hemp as a new addition to our agriculture landscape. With our strategic location as the Crossroads of America, efficient transportation is a leading benefit. The growing focus on regenerative agriculture in Indiana highlights the importance of industrial hemp as a sustainable option. Let's continue to make progress in #foodfuelfiber, #soilhealth, and #carbon initiatives. #Indiana #businessgrowth #sustainability

⏳ Coming up tomorrow — join us! Friday, March 8 @ 12-1pm ET. Please register in advance (free!) for event link & password. https://lnkd.in/eW-hU6bx Join the International Humanistic Management Association, Inc. (IHMA) with Dr. Mike Barnett and Dr. Michael Pirson for a #Necessary #Conversation & timely #research initiative: “How Do We Get UnStuck?” Society and ecology face myriad grand challenges, some of which are existential. — But you already know this. Many firms have the resources and reach to produce innovative solutions to most of our challenges. — But you already know this. Firms have incentive to produce these solutions, because they can profit from them – this is the business case. — But you already know this. Given the business case, most every firm has a sizeable portfolio of CSR/sustainability initiatives aimed at bettering society and ecology. — But you already know this. All sounds good! — So, after decades of most every firm vowing to make a difference, why do we still have so many problems with everything but firm performance? You may not know that the business case is a bust. It drives firms to do those things that earn profit, but those things that earn profit are often not those things that solve our myriad grand challenges. SO HOW DO WE GET UNSTUCK? If stakeholders were to demand firms do better, they could produce change in firm behavior. But stakeholders have proven to be poor at policing firm conduct. Is there a way to improve their governance of firms? Remember government? The actual relationship we want to understand is not business & society, but business, government, and society. Are there effective ways to balance this three-legged stool without destroying the incentive of firms? What’s the right mix, across various industries, countries, and other contexts? Mike Barnett's Bio: Michael L. Barnett is Dean’s Research Professor in the Department of Management & Global Business at Rutgers Business School-Newark & New Brunswick, in Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. He holds a Ph.D. from the Stern School of Business at New York University. His research focuses on the firm-stakeholder interface. In particular, he studies how firms individually and collectively manage their relationships with stakeholders, and how their efforts at stakeholder management, through acts of corporate social responsibility and via communal institutions such as industry trade associations, influence their reputations and financial performance, and how this affects society and the natural environment. His work has appeared in numerous influential academic journals. Mike is incoming editor-in-chief of Academy of Management Perspectives and has previously served as Chair of the Social Issues in Management Division of the Academy of Management.

🌿⚖️ Do you consider #nature to be a subject of #law? Or a valuable #stakeholder ? Or maybe as the real and only #boss ? In 1990, Michel Serres wrote the "Natural Contract", an advocacy to consider nature and all natural beings as subjects of law. _ 🌱The aim was to move away from our dominative plunderer relation with natural #resources and (re-)build a complex relationship between mankind and nature. _ 🤝Construct a new social contract, renamed the Natural Contract, based on #responsibility and cooperation between human beings and their "environment" (we do think that we're part of nature and that the "environment" is a tricky concept). The Institut Michel Serres and its Director Olivier Hamant are actively conducting research to establish peaceful institutional recognition 🕊of the inherent value of ALL forms of life 🐥🐝🐦🐄🌵🌱🌹. This vision inspires us every day and we're grateful to have met many independent thinkers and NGOs active on these topics over the past year. 🤝Corporate ReGeneration is an Intergenerational nonprofit #association that brings the voice of the younger generation 👥 (18-30 y) and 🌱nature to the decision-making table in the corporate world. ♻️We want to influence on and co-create with businesses, solutions that are favorable to the regeneration of living ecosystems (including human ones). We are delighted to have been invited to talk about our approach during two #nature #governance dedicated conferences: 📅 April 4th in #Paris at Fondation Jean-Jaurès to mark the publication of Frantz Gault's book "La Nature au travail" and the conference "PAR-DELÀ L’ENTREPRISE À MISSION : POUR DES SOCIÉTÉS À RESPONSABILITÉ ASSUMÉE" 📅 April 10th near #Amsterdam at Nyenrode Business Universiteit at the occasion of the B Lab Benelux - Earth Law Center (Alexandra Pimor 🌻🌍) Symposium "ONBOARDING NATURE: IMAGINE IF THE NATURE OF BUSINESS WAS NATURE'S BUSINESS" 😃 We're so happy that this subject is still higher in the agenda of #corporate #governance The Corporate ReGeneration team  

Tech that failed but you might not know yet! Post 1/10 - My recent misjudgment.🛑 𝗘𝗨 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 - 𝗔 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 1️⃣ Form a Committee 👥: 7 EU citizens from 7 different countries. 2️⃣ Register 📝: If approved, 12 months to gather support. 3️⃣ Collect Signatures ✍️: 1 million needed across >7 countries. 4️⃣ Submit 📬: Present to European Commission. 5️⃣ Public Hearing 🗣️: If successful, present to European Parliament! Last year, I quite vocally participated in an initiative that was bound to fail. Let me explain. The 100th initiative in #ECI's 12 year history wanted to bring High Speed Rail to European capitals. Perhaps you remember - I made a post with some findings https://lnkd.in/e2DwGgnn. The initiative closed in May 2024 and had collected only 40,682 signatures (𝟰.𝟭% 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹)! Goodness Lio, what happened? Some issues we had: Ⓐ 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱🔍: I worked on feasibility and concluded we had to reframe the initiative due to technological, economical, and social barriers. Feedback from experts like Béatrice JARRIGE and Artur Wolnica supported this. Ⓑ 𝗡𝗼 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻📊: A colleague found that only 10 of all 116 initiatives ever created had succeeded. Out of these successful ones, 7 were led by 𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝘀. In a call, they showed us their clear campaign strategy - we had nothing comparable. Ⓒ 𝗟𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻❌: The initiator refused cooperation with NGOs or external feedback. My colleague and I were removed from the initiative in August 2023 for raising concerns. In politics, as in engineering, feedback and adjustment are crucial. 𝗔𝗱𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 - I think this is the mindset I want to promote in my series. I’m generally still in favor of #HSR. Public and private actors need to carefully evaluate each case to avoid costly mistakes (white elephants) and societal impacts (peripheral dwellers might feel left out, or forced to move). I want to also include some positive learnings into my post. Remember the “animal protection groups”? Here’s 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻: 1️⃣ Networking 🤝: Find other actors (NGOs, celebrities, etc.) to get them on board even before submitting. 2️⃣ Social Media Campaigns 💬: one argument/narrative 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀. 3️⃣ Strategy 🗓️: Address key topics in a 12-month content plan. 4️⃣ Grassroots mobilization 🏘️: Door-to-door efforts can create exponential growth - the ”reaching the village matriarch” phenomenon. 5️⃣ Perfect is the Enemy of Good 🎯: A consistent design language is good, but not necessary. To keep within the topic, my next two posts will be about a transportation technology. I let you guess which one! #TFC 5, #PFT 1, #PredictingFailedTech

The second contradiction at Mondragon relates to environmental issues. Even as “sustainability” issues have found a place in most global firms, I did not see much traction in Mondragon in either practice or articulated values. There is nothing in cooperativism that is inherently greener than any other structure. On this issue, there is good news on three fronts. First, as environmental responsibility becomes an important consideration for both customers and worker-owners, it is likely to find its way into the mission and function of the cooperatives. Second, as the environmental crisis worsens, it will create many new business opportunities for companies with the technical skills to address them. Mondragon, with its strong technical and industrial skills, will be well positioned to take advantage of these new markets. Third, the sustainability orientation of Mondragon is potentially further along than I could observe on the ground. According to Michael Peck, North American delegate for Mondragon, “in the area of sustainability, where Mondragon cooperatives started with EU adhesion to the Kyoto Protocol starting in 1997 (something the U.S. never achieved), they have been very conscious of both sustainability practices as well as essential green industrial certifications…”

Green Worms was invited by the Embassy of Switzerland in India & Bhutan to join Roundtable on "Inclusive Circular Economy". This event is hosted by Circular Innovation Lab ApS in partnership with the Wyss Academy for Nature and Chatham House. Our Colleague & Co-founder Akshay Gunteti will be representing Green Worms. Do reach out to schedule a meeting. Akshay@greenworms.org As part of the Global Roadmap Initiative, the roundtable aims to create a platform where policymakers, business leaders, entrepreneurs, academics, and civil society actors can discuss and reflect on the transition towards an inclusive circular economy. The Roundtable will be held at the Embassy of Switzerland in India. Similar events have been hosted by Swiss embassies in Kenya, Thailand, and Peru, as well as at the Swiss Mission to the UN in Geneva, Switzerland, during the months of May and June. The primary objective of this roundtable is to get feedback on the "Circular Economy Futures 2050." work-in-progress policy document which will be presented at the United Nations Summit of the Future in September 2024 in New York. #circulareconomy #circularity #plasticwaste #wastemanagement

Mustardseed Trust will cease its activities by mid-2025 with a view to winding-up the Trust within feasible time thereafter. Coming back from maternity leave, I was ‘super curious’ what energy I would find at Mustardseed. Whilst the team has been working towards the ‘end’ of Mustardseed as an organisation, this is not perceived in a linear, ‘finite’ way. But circular, natural. It underlines how Mustardseed, by design of its core values and ideals, is a regenerative system, where Mustardseed is giving more than we need to take and fostering resilience in the face of change.  It feels right to do this. Contrary to ‘business as usual’, Mustardseed Trust has never concerned itself with its own survival. In these times of multiple crises on climate, social and economic fronts, we felt that our resources will do more good flowing directly to those doing radical systems-change work. The time to do it is now. For the past months the team has been working with our partners to support regeneration in their work and enable their caring systems for their communities and the planet. The work of the partners we support, breathe the ideals of MT and its benefactor Bela and Ellen. Our vision in the areas of ecosystems, economic systems and human relationship systems that Mustardseed stand for, will very much live on in the work of our partners. Musheshe and his team of rural changemakers, Gernot with alternative economics, Pieter creating a movement of communities taking ecosystem restoration to the next level. And a host of others doing the great work that enabled us to see our vision becoming reality. The Jamboree, our final event, next year will be a vital part of this regeneration. We will bring together existing and potential partners for cross-pollination. It will set the stage for further possible partnerships that we have been actively nourishing over the past few years. Mustardseed’s social heart will not stop beating. Our legacy and idealism will continue to live on in the networks of great changemakers that we have had the pleasure of connecting to in the past years and present!

🥕 🍔 In neighbourhoods that have lower socio-economic level have twice as much offering of unhealthy food than richer neighbourhoods. The life expectancy is even 15 years shorter. How can municipalities create more equal acces to healthy food? We have been guiding a young professional team of TNO in creating an impact solution. 📈 Sophie van Gent and her team are developing a tool for municipalities which provides insights in their neighbourhood ‘health food score’. The data will be used for spatial decision making on food offering & strategies for action taking. They are currently setting up collaborations with bigger municipalities; Do you have connection with more smaller municipalities? Reach out to Sophie. Vote for this team in De Partnership Verkiezing https://lnkd.in/gZRAM3nv initiated by The Punchy Pack, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, Impact Institute Aly Abdou Robert Passmann Frank Westers Luka Janssens