Here’s a question that needs answering if we are to deal with our energy crisis. Is growth raw growth of individual wealth, a corporation, or even a nation’s GDP detrimental to sustainability? Is there such a thing as sustainable growth. At what point does a person or corporation become too big to be sustainable? I’ll give an abstract example. Let’s say a retailer owns a single store. She hears about a more efficient light bulb and decides to switch all her lighting to utilize it. She has accomplished a lower carbon footprint, less energy consumption, and lower energy costs, all for a manageable initial investment.
What happens when she owns 5, or 10 or 100 stores? At what point can she not simply order new lightbulbs? What happens when she’s gone global? What happens when the new light bulb only works in the UK, but she needs her stores to look consistent all over the world?
At some point a company becomes too big to make efficiency it’s core, both operationally and ecologically. What are your thoughts on this? Any examples? The comment section awaits.
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I am reading Jill Bamburg’s Getting to Scale, which starts with Ben and Jerry, Stonyfield Farms and Bodyworks, all of which are no longer connected to their founders and their ideals. Bamburg talks about an alternative model which might allow businesses to grow and still accomplish their original social goals. She makes a good argument for the need to reach “scale”. Not the same topic as yours, but related. I’m going to tweet the book.