One of the great minds I know said tonight (under Chatham House rules): "We spend our years trying to improve individual companies. But all we're doing is cleaning the fish to throw them back into the polluted river. We also need to transform the market they swim in." This made me think of the efforts of people in the social solidarity economy and the alternative trade movement (which became the Fair Trade movement). They were/are trying to create a different market with different rules. It is dwarfed by the mainstream market. But it is an experiment in creating a fundamentally different market based on human and planetary wellbeing. Shout out to all those in the Social Solidarity and Alternative Trade Movements: RIPESS - Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of Social Solidarity Economy World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) Social Economy Europe Fair Trade Advocacy Office (FTAO) GSEF (Global Forum for Social and Solidarity Economy) and the many hundreds of organisations making up these movements!
Valentina Toledo
1mo
Couldn't agree more. This comes up a lot in the discussions around regen ag - are we wanting regeneratively grown produce to "retrofit" into the current food system (as some might say organic has), or do we need a new approach to food that honours the principles behind the regen ag movement (fair distribution of value and risk, reconfigured power relations, trust and transparency, dynamic innovation, continuous learning, etc)? I've pondered a lot on this topic and believe that to truly reconfigure how business is done we need new marketplace business models that are decentralised and diversified. That was the hope with Regenerative Value Networks - a model for buyers and sellers of regenerative produce, constructed to align with the principles of regenerative agriculture. https://open.substack.com/pub/valentinatoledo/p/regenerative-value-networks-principles?r=ixj2v&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Remzi Bajrami
1mo
Exactly, the economic environment in which we fight over the resources, labor, and credit of the world is the problem. Reclaiming the commons from private owners is the logical step advocated by socialists for centuries, however, I believe, with modern technology, we finally have the missing piece to bind trust and openness for collaboration. We can remake the currency system to manage and allocate common resources. I call it Creditism and you can read about it here: Common-Planet.org. We'll be adding a proper summary/outline as well as a 'white paper' this month.
Natalie Mayer
1mo
In alternative medicine this is called Germ Theory versus Terrain Theory. Should we medicate the fish, or clean the tank? The answer is clear, but it’s a huge leap to get that tank clean in the modern world. I’m glad there is so many exiting movements of thought about making these improvements.
I could only agree on that. We need to find a way to change the system. One of the keys would be to help empower "cleaned fishes" to participate in the "cleaning of the river". In other words to empower companies to be actors of systemic changes. Grégoire MORLAËS-DUSAUTOIR
Simon Lee
1mo
Absolutely. It's tough swimming against the tide, and every company or industry that I work with eventually comes up against the same systemic barriers. My colleague Ben Kellard at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) wrote this fantastic piece summarising the challenge: https://www.cisl.cam.ac.uk/news/blog/economy-isnt-working-people-or-planet-its-time-new-narrative
Richard Dickson
1mo
That quote is spot-on, Erinch! It's not just about improving individual companies but transforming the entire market they operate in. The efforts of those in the Social Solidarity and Alternative Trade Movements are inspiring, showing us a different path focused on human and planetary wellbeing. Kudos to all involved in these transformative initiatives!
Courtney Holm
1mo
Erinch Sahan agree that market initiatives matter, but let's remember that WE are the market. WE fuel the economy with our spending.
James Law
1mo
I humbly dream of the Evrythng.cc model being on that list one day 💭 #publictradeforpublicgood
Liz May
1mo
Love this!
Development Professional I Livelihoods | Organization Development | Strategy | Project Management I Environmentalist I Business for Future I
1moHi Erinch Sahan Great point, however, could not understand how social solidarity economy and the alternative trade movement meaning can be confined to fair trave movements only. What is your take on manipulations on the name of fair-trade labels ?