🔍 Is Your Business Healing the Planet or Just Hurting It Less?

Regenerative Business Models

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RegenBrief.com Editor
May 05, 2025

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Sustainability is about doing less harm. Regeneration is about doing more good.

- Paul Hawken

 

Sustainability got us started.
Regeneration will take us where we need to go.

For decades, we’ve focused on reducing carbon footprints, minimizing waste and doing less damage to the planet.

But the harsh truth is:
A sustainable business, by definition, still sustains the status quo.

And the status quo isn’t working.

 

🚨 A Wake-Up Call

  • 80% of biodiversity loss is caused by resource extraction and land use.

  • We’ve already crossed 6 of 9 planetary boundaries, risking irreversible ecosystem collapse.

  • The current rate of emissions reductions under “net zero” plans still puts us on a path to 2.5°C or more of global warming.

What we need now isn’t just sustainability.
We need regeneration!

 

🌱 So, what is a Regenerative Business Model? 

At its core, a regenerative business operates in alignment with living systems.

That means:

It’s not just a model.
It’s a mindset shift:

  • From extraction → to stewardship.

  • From ownership → to partnership.

  • From short-term profit → to long-term vitality.

  • Giving back more than it takes.

  • Designing for circularity, not just efficiency.

  • Supporting thriving communities, not just avoiding harm.

  • Regenerating ecosystems, not just offsetting emissions.

 

🔍 Key Features of Regenerative Business Models

 

đź’ˇ Regeneration in Action

Interface

Turned its entire carpet business around by mimicking nature, achieving carbon-negative products without offsets.

Allbirds

Targets a carbon footprint of 1 kg COâ‚‚ per product, working with regenerative wool farmers.

GuayakĂ­ Yerba Mate

Aims to regenerate 200,000 acres of South American rainforest through agroforestry and community enterprise.

🧭 The Real Question Is No Longer “Why?”

It’s “How fast can we move?”

The regenerative economy is not a trend—it’s a transformation.
It's not just about saving the planet. It's about reimagining prosperity.
It's about healing the systems we depend on—so that our businesses, our communities and the planet can all thrive together.

How is your company contributing to a regenerative future?

Let Us Help You Lead the Shift

Whether you're in strategy, ESG reporting, operations or innovation—
This is your moment to shape not just a better business, but a better future.

Curious where regeneration fits into your model?
Let’s explore the possibilities together.

This is more than sustainability.
This is life-centered design.
This is regeneration.