How Business Can Improve the World, Not Just the Bottom Line | Esha Chhabra | TED

翻译人员: Ivy Loh 校对人员: Lening Xu

Business as we know it has been focused on scale, growth,

我们熟悉的商业 一直专注于规模、增长、

productivity and maximizing profit.

生产力和利润最大化。

It's that hustle culture that we love, right?

我们喜欢的是这种奋斗文化，对吧？

The faster the growth, the better; the more money, the better.

增长得越快，越好； 赚得越多，越好。

And yet that hasn't really worked.

然而，这似乎并没有真正奏效。

I mean, the planet has clearly taken a hit,

我的意思是， 地球显然受到了影响，

but also, I think people are fed up

但同时，我认为人们已经受够了

and seeking for more balance in their lives.

并且渴望在生活中找到更多平衡。

So to rectify this, over the last few years,

因此，为了纠正这种情况， 在过去的几年中，

we saw the rise of sustainable and mission-driven brands.

我们看到了可持续性 和使命驱动型品牌的崛起。

These were companies that started with a very simple model of:

这些公司从一个非常简单的模式开始：

you buy a pair of shoes, we'll donate a pair of shoes.

你买一双鞋， 我们就捐赠一双鞋。

Then it became "we'll be conscious companies,"

然后它变成了 “我们将成为有意识的公司”，

"we'll recycle our waste,"

“我们将回收废物”，

and most recently, "we'll use carbon offsets."

最近，“我们将使用碳补偿”。

Well, that’s all well-intentioned, and it truly is,

这一切都是出于良好的意图， 而且确实如此，

but sustainability has become more marketing than action, it seems.

但可持续性似乎已经变成了 更多的市场营销而不是行动。

It hasn't really moved the needle on what is the core purpose of business

它并没有真正改变 商业的核心目的

and the core model of business.

和核心模式。

So I see it as: it was a great step one, good effort,

我认为这是一个很好的第一步， 很好的尝试，

but now it's time to move to step two.

但现在是时候迈向第二步了。

And what is step two?

那么第二步是什么呢？

It's regenerative.

那就是再生。

You may have heard of the term.

你可能听说过这个词。

It’s been all over the news lately, in Vogue, in New York Times,

它最近在新闻中频频出现， 在《时尚》杂志、《纽约时报》、

in Outside magazine.

以及《户外》杂志中。

These are just some headlines.

这些只是一些标题。

New York Times said it best, I think most succinctly.

我认为，《纽约时报》表达得最好。

“Regenerative: it’s like yoga, but for farmland.”

“再生：就像瑜伽一样， 但适用于农田。”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Not quite.

不完全是。

So what is regenerative,

那么，什么是再生，

particularly in the context of business?

尤其是在商业背景下？

Regenerative businesses are looking to restore,

再生型企业致力于恢复、重振

revive and bring to life communities, industries and people that are struggling.

并使陷入困境的社区、 产业和人们重生。

It's actually much more than just a term.

事实上，它远不止是一个词。

So I’ve been reporting for over 10 years on business,

十多年来，我一直在报道 商业、社会问题和环境，

social issues and the environment and how all of that overlaps.

以及它们之间有何重叠之处。

I have seen my fair share of doom and gloom headlines.

我见过不少悲观的头条新闻。

I think we can all agree we've got problems in the world.

我们都认为这个世界存在问题。

But as I was doing this reporting,

但当我在做这些报道时，

I kept meeting entrepreneurs

我遇到了那些企业家，

that were really looking beyond the crisis at hand

他们真正超越了眼前的危机

and focusing on solutions.

而专注于解决方案。

So I decided to write about their stories and their regenerative businesses,

所以我决定写关于他们的故事 和他们的再生型企业，

which don't start with this question

这些企业不是从这个问题或意图开始，

or intent of how do we make the most money by selling you X, Y or Z?

即我们如何通过向你销售 X、Y或Z来赚取最多的钱？

Rather, they ask a really simple question:

相反，他们思考一个非常简单的问题：

What problem are we going to solve?

我们要解决什么问题？

What social and environmental problem are we going to solve?

我们要解决什么社会和环境问题？

And so it's not about just selling you another great pair of jeans

因此，这不只是向你出售 另一条优质牛仔裤，

or a great cup of coffee or a nice hotel stay,

或者一杯美味的咖啡， 或者一次愉快的酒店住宿，

unless all of that has impact embedded into it.

除非所有这些都对你产生了影响力。

In fact, I like to think of regenerative companies as a multi-tiered cake.

事实上，我认为再生型公司 就像是一座多层蛋糕。

It's layer upon layer upon layer of impact,

它是一层又一层的影响力，

which makes the whole thing enticing.

使整件事都变得诱人。

It's not just one thing you do off to the side

这不只是你站在公司某一边

or one aspect of your company.

或某个方面做的一件事。

It's every tenet of the company is focused on impact.

公司的每一项宗旨都专注于影响力。

And so what are some of these tenets they might be thinking about?

他们可能考量的有哪些原则？

Well, if you have a supply chain, if you're in manufacturing,

如果你有供应链， 如果你从事制造业，

你肯定会考虑环境问题

you're definitely thinking about the environment

以及参与供应链的人员。

and the people that are involved in that supply chain.

事实上，他们不是你的供应链， 他们是你的合作伙伴。

In fact, they're not your supply chain, they're your partners.

如果你在服务行业，是的，

If you're in the services industry, yes,

你会考虑到你的环境足迹，

you're thinking about your environmental footprint,

但你也会想，你是否在 促进更好的人际关系？

but also are you fostering better human connections?

以及你将如何 为这家公司融资？

And how are you going to fund this company?

因为你所引入的资本将决定

Because the capital that you take on is going to determine

how you run the company for years to come.

你未来几年如何经营这家公司。

Are you open to employee ownership, profit-sharing?

你是否愿意 让员工持股，分享利润？

That can have serious social impact in the world.

这可能会对世界产生重要的社会影响。

And most of all, are you inspiring and improving people's lives at work

最重要的是，你是否在激励 和改善人们的工作生活，

or just keeping them afloat?

还是只是让他们勉强度日？

Because I think we can all agree that we want to be treated with respect

因为我想我们都同意 我们希望被尊重，

and work with purpose these days.

并且在工作中有目标感。

So it's every hub and spoke of the company

因此，公司的每个中心，

is thinking about impact, not just one.

都在思考影响力，而不仅仅是一个。

And that’s why, when I turn to these entrepreneurs,

这就是为什么， 当我转向这些企业家时，

and I would ask them, "Well, what's your take on sustainability?"

我会问他们：“那么， 你对可持续性有什么看法？”

他们有点犹豫地说，

They would sort of push back and say,

“我们这里不太使用这个词。”

"We don't really use that word around here."

他们几乎像对它过敏一样。

It was almost as if they were allergic to it.

他们说，“因为， 我们在维持什么？

They said, "Because, what are we sustaining?

一个破碎的系统，现状？”

A broken system, the status quo?"

I mean, that's what it suggests, right?

这就是它所暗示的，对吧？

Now regenerative is not a one-size-fits-all.

现在，再生并非是一刀切。

For large global companies,

对于大型跨国公司来说，

this is going to be a harder and slower transition

这将是一个越来越艰难和 越来越缓慢的转变，

for reasons we can discuss afterwards.

原因我们可以在事后讨论。

But for small- to medium-sized companies, it’s very doable.

但对于中小型公司来说， 这是非常可行的。

In fact, it's already happening.

实际上，它已经发生了。

And so it's lovely to talk about all this in theory,

所以在理论上 谈论这一切很美好，

but let's put it into context with some examples, shall we?

但让我们通过一些例子来 具体说明一下，好吗？

You may have heard of the shoe brand Veja.

你可能听说过鞋类品牌 Veja。

They're quite popular these days,

它们现在相当受欢迎，

but 20 years ago, when they started,

但在 20 年前，当他们刚成立时，

the two French cofounders started with less than 20,000 Euros,

这两位法国联合创始人仅有 不到 2 万欧元的启动资金，

and they had very little fashion experience.

而且几乎没有什么时尚经验。

And yes, they were selling shoes,

是的，他们当时在卖鞋子，

but they were looking to do something far more meaningful.

但他们希望做一些 更有意义的事情。

They wanted to preserve the Amazon,

他们想保护亚马逊，

hire people that are considered unemployable,

雇佣一些被认为无法就业的人，

regenerate soils and challenge the fashion industry as a whole.

改造土壤并挑战整个时装业。

So a few years ago, I had the opportunity to go down

几年前，我有机会前往

and see one of their supply chains in the Amazon in Brazil.

巴西的亚马逊地区 看看他们的一条供应链。

And it was beautiful and green and biodiverse.

那里美丽而绿意盎然。

And the supply chain that I focused on was rubber.

我关注的供应链是橡胶。

So Veja sources native rubber from the rubber trees in the Amazon

Veja 从亚马逊的橡胶树中 采集原生橡胶，

for the soles of their shoes.

用于制作他们鞋子的鞋底。

These trees can harvest rubber for years, if not decades

这些树木可以收获数年 甚至数十年的橡胶，

if it's done properly and it's done by rubber tappers.

前提是操作得当， 并由橡胶采集者完成。

These are individuals who live within the Amazon,

这些是生活在亚马逊的人，

and their other option for a livelihood is cattle farming.

他们的另一种谋生方式是养牛。

But thanks to Veja,

但是多亏了Veja，

they were able to make the same amount of money,

他们能够赚同样多的钱，

if not more money, tapping trees for rubber

甚至割胶比养牛赚得更多。

than they would be doing cattle farming.

And cattle farming requires you to level the land,

养牛需要平整土地，

to get rid of the trees.

砍伐树木。

Here, the trees get to stay upright.

在这里，树木可以保持挺立。

This is an example of a regenerative design,

这是再生设计的一个例子，

where a company thinks about the environment

一家从一开始就考虑 环境和员工的公司。

and its people from the beginning.

That rubber is then taken down to their factory

然后，那些橡胶被运到他们

in the southern part of Brazil, in Porto Alegre,

位于巴西南部阿雷格里港的工厂，

where it meets up with organic cotton that comes from another corner of Brazil

在那里遇到来自巴西 另一个角落的有机棉，

and is turned into a shoe.

并被制成一双鞋子。

That shoe then sails across the sea,

然后，这双鞋子横渡大海，

and only by sea, to France.

而且只能通过海运，到达法国。

Now here again, Veja had an opportunity.

在这里，Veja 再次有了机会。

They could have hired any fulfillment company to do their fulfillment.

他们本可以雇用任何一个 配送公司来完成配送。

Instead, they decided to partner with a nonprofit.

相反，他们决定 与一家非营利组织合作。

This nonprofit hires individuals that come from marginalized neighborhoods

这个非营利组织雇用 来自边缘化社区

and are considered unemployable,

并被认为无法就业的人，

and gives them a chance at a career.

为他们提供职业机会。

Those individuals are responsible for shipping the shoes out to customers.

这些人负责将鞋子运送给顾客。

So it's layer upon layer of impact.

因此，这是一层层的影响。

And one more.

还有一件事。

Veja decided early on

Veja 很早就决定

that they were not going to get so involved in the marketing game,

他们不会参与营销游戏，

so they don't pump loads of money into athletes

他们不会向运动员、有影响力的人

and influencers and models to wear their shoes.

和模特们投入大量资金 让他们带货。

The money goes back to the supply chain.

这笔钱用在了供应链上。

The materials cost more,

材料成本更高了，

but the people who make it also get paid more.

但制造材料的人也得到了更高的报酬。

Every hub and spoke of the company --

公司的每一个中心，

(Applause)

（掌声）

Every hub and spoke of the company is thinking about impact.

公司的每一个中心都在思考影响力。

So making a shoe has a footprint on the planet

因此，制造一双鞋子对地球有影响，

and no solution and no company is perfect,

没有任何解决方案， 没有任何公司是完美的，

we can all acknowledge that.

我们都知悉这一点。

However, when we ask this question, can business do better?

然而，当我们问这个问题时， 企业能否做得更好？

Definitely.

当然可以。

Here's just one example in fashion.

这只是时尚界的一个例子。

Looking beyond fashion,

放眼时尚界，

what does regenerative business look like?

再生型企业是什么样的？

Well, some of them use employee ownership and profit-sharing.

其中一些实行员工持股和利润共享。

Here’s a company in Arizona called Technicians for Sustainability

这是亚利桑那州的一家名为 可持续发展技术人员的公司，

where the owner of the company realized early on

该公司的所有者很早就意识到，

that the folks who are responsible for installing the solar panels

负责在屋顶上安装太阳能电池板的人，

on the roofs

are not going to amass personal wealth doing that job.

不会因为这项工作而积累个人财富。

So he opened up the profits of the company to his employees.

因此，他把公司的利润 共享给员工。

Today, 40 percent of the profits every year go to the employees.

如今，公司每年的利润 有 40% 流向员工。

And what's great about it is not only are they part

这个伟大之处在于，

他们不仅参与了 向可再生能源的过渡，

of the transition to renewable energy,

but they're investing in the people that are making it happen.

而且还投资于实现 可再生能源的人。

Regenerative companies think about waste differently.

再生型企业以不同的方式思考废物。

They see it as an opportunity rather than a burden.

他们把它看作机会 而不是负担。

If you've been across the pond to the UK,

如果你穿过大西洋去了英国，

you know that the Brits love their ready-to-eat sandwiches.

你就会知道英国人喜欢 他们的即食三明治。

You can find them on every corner shop.

你可以在每个街角商店里找到它们。

Well, to make those lovely sandwiches,

为了制作这些可爱的三明治，

you have to unfortunately sacrifice the end slices of loaves

不幸的是，你不得不牺牲 面包的末端切片，

and so those end slices would often go to waste.

所以这些末端切片 往往会被浪费掉。

Well, a food waste entrepreneur and a social entrepreneur got together

一位反食物浪费企业家 和一位社会企业家联合起来，

and said, "Why don't we turn it into beer?"

“我们为什么不把它变成啤酒呢？”

And that became Toast Ale.

这就成了吐司啤酒。

And so now Toast is available throughout the country in pubs,

现在吐司啤酒 在全国各地的酒吧、

restaurants and in grocery stores.

餐馆和杂货店都可以买到。

And they've gone one step further.

而他们又更进一步。

The profits of the company now go to a charity that's focused on food waste.

将公司的利润现在捐给了 一家专注于反食品浪费的慈善机构。

(Applause)

（掌声）

And regenerative, the term you may have heard of,

再生，这个词你可能听说过，

has its roots in regenerative agriculture.

它起源于再生农业。

That's where it's being used most prominently these days.

这就是当今它 最常被使用的地方。

Well, here's a gentleman, David Vetter,

有一位绅士， 大卫·维特（David Vetter,），

who's been doing it far before it was trendy.

早在流行之前 就一直在做这件事。

He is the son of a military veteran-turned-farmer

他是一位退伍军人出身的农民的儿子，

who lives in the cornfields of Nebraska,

生活在内布拉斯加州的玉米田里，

in the heart of big ag and conventional ag.

位于大规模传统农业的核心地带。

But him and his dad decided early on

但是他和他的父亲很早就决定

that they would go down the route of regenerative organic farming.

选择再生有机农业的路线。

They grow regenerative organic grains.

他们种植可再生有机谷物。

And if you talk to David, he will tell you,

如果你和大卫说话， 他会告诉你：

"Soil is something you grow crops in,

“土壤是你种植庄稼的东西，

dirt is something you find under your bed.

泥土是你在床底下找到的东西。

You ought to know the difference."

你应该知道其中的区别。”

确实有区别。

There is a difference.

And as the company has grown and as the family has grown,

随着公司的发展和家族的扩大，

the Vetters have also put a processing unit,

维特一家还在他们的场地上 建立了一个加工厂、一座磨坊，

a mill on their facility,

which now allows other farmers in the area who want to also do organic farming

这使该地区其他想要 从事有机农业的农民，

to be able to get their products closer to the market.

能够让他们的产品更接近市场。

If we can create these links,

如果我们能够创建这些链接，

we can get these products closer to consumers.

我们就能让这些产品 更接近消费者。

So these are just some examples.

所以这些只是一些例子。

I mean, I could rattle on many more examples of these kinds of companies,

我还可以举出更多这类公司的例子，

but when I asked them fundamentally, "I said, OK guys, what's next?

但是当我问他们， “我说，伙计们，下一步想干什么？

What do we have to do?"

我们要做些什么？”

Many of them said to me one simple thing.

很多人对我说了一件简单的事情。

We have to tell these stories further and wider.

我们必须把这些故事 传播得更远、更广。

The cofounder of Veja said to me something

Veja 的联合创始人对我说了一些，

that I thought was quite poignant.

我认为很悲伤的话。

He said, "We don't need Veja to be the next global ethical shoe brand.

他说：“我们不需要 Veja 成为 下一个合乎道德的全球性的鞋类品牌。

We need dozens of Vejas.

我们需要更多的 Veja。

We need dozens in every industry, in every culture, in every geography.

在每个行业、每种文化、 每个地区都有数十个。

Replication is the answer."

答案就是复制。”

And that brought up another conversation about scale.

这引发了另一场关于规模的对话。

Many of the entrepreneurs said to me,

许多企业家对我说：

"We don't all need to reach astronomical heights.

“我们并不都需要达到天文高度。

Not every company needs to be a global company.

并非每家公司都 需要成为一家全球性公司。

It should be OK to say we are good with this level of scale.

可以说我们达到这个规模 已经足够了。

This is enough."

这就够了。”

And that fundamental question, of how much is enough,

我的报道年复一年地提出了 那个根本问题，足够多是多少？

has come up year after year in my reporting.

Ask yourselves personally how much stuff, house, food,

请问问自己 你们需要多少东西、房子、食物、

consumption is enough.

消费是足够的。

But also, as business leaders,

同样的，作为企业领导者，

how much growth, scale, profit is enough

多少增长、规模、利润才足以

满足我们的贪婪和自尊心。

to feed our greed and our egos sometimes.

So I leave you with this thought.

所以我把这个思考留给你们。

We're all here, on this flying rock, for a moment in time.

我们在这个行星上存在不过是一瞬间。

We can't take any of this stuff or any of this wealth with us.

我们不能带走任何东西 或任何财富。

So why not use this time to build businesses

那为什么不利用这段时间来建立

that think beyond profit?

超越利润的企业呢？

Why not build organizations

为什么不建立

that regenerate the environment instead of destroy it?

能够重生环境 而不是摧毁它的组织呢？

Why not build organizations and companies that have a workforce

为什么不建立

将员工视为人 而不是交易的组织和公司呢？

that treats people as humans and not as transactions?

I think it's time that we really redefine business.

我认为现在是我们真正 重新定义商业的时候了。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）