A three-thinking economy

What is a three-thinking economy and why is it important?

A three-thinking economy is one that values social, environmental and financial considerations equally. We believe this is essential – if one value dominates it is often to the detriment of the others, as seen by our current focus on economic growth.

It’s not that one value is better than another. Too much focus on any one of the three values can be damaging. A single-minded focus on urgent environmental issues, for example, risks social values being neglected; causing more suffering for the poorest who are also the most vulnerable to climate change.

The key word here is balance. Creating businesses and an economy where people, planet and profit are given equal priority.

And we include profit here because the truth is efforts to tackle environmental and social challenges are more likely to achieve long-term success if they are embedded in, rather than in opposition to the processes of a financially sustainable economy. We all need to earn a living and invest for the future. And we need to create an economy that allows us to do so in a way that has a positive impact on the world, and increases our own sense of wellbeing within it.