Page 9 - The European Business Review

mortality or CO 2 emissions by a given percentage, Table 2 - The Sustainable Development Goals.
instead of conventional PPP activities such as Overview of 17 goals to transform our world, adopted
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This evolution has been documented by authors
such as W. D. Eggers and P. Macmillan in their book
3
The Solution Revolution, and in publications such as
the World Economic Forum’s 2016 paper, Health
4
System Leapfrogging in Emerging Economies. Often
initiated by visionary leaders or motivated core
cross-sector teams, value networks target long-term
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of revenue. And they are able to adapt over time to
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Pioneers of the Transformation Economy
Although the necessary business models for this
new paradigm are not yet mature, case studies
from the early pioneers offer insights into how to
proceed. They illustrate how mobilisation of people
and value-sharing approaches generate solutions
that create better living conditions, support social
equity, and respect the environment, as well as deliv-
ering economic returns on investments.
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a manufacturer of modular carpet. In the 1990s,
5
CEO, Ray C. Anderson, was inspired by concepts
of the “restorative economy” and “waste as value,
not cost”. He challenged the company to set bold
corporate environmental goals and to pioneer closed
loop systems with targets such as “zero waste” and
6
“zero impact by 2020”.
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sustainable consumption and production patterns),
Anderson’s ambitions were almost unheard of
at the time. Interface had to seek partners to
develop the required knowledge, capabilities, and
competencies in cleaner production techniques,
renewable energy and waste recovery. It also
had to set up a network of stakeholders able to
provide infrastructure and take-back and recycling
channels. As a result, Interface moved away from
the traditional industrial economic paradigm of
selling carpets based on “taking-making-wasting”to
become a provider of “indoor comfort”, offering
customers superior value through recyclable and
upcyclable leasing solutions. It turned the issues
7
of sustainability and the cost of waste into a
billion dollar corporation, dispelling the myth that Source: http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

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