A Financial Times Best Business Book of the Year
Named one of 10 Best New Management Books for 2022 by Thinkers50
"An advocate of sustainable capitalism explains how it's done" -- The
Economist
"Polman's new book with the sustainable business expert Andrew
Winston...argues that it's profitable to do business with the goal of
making the world better." -- The New York Times
Named as recommended reading by Fortune's CEO Daily
"...Polman has been one of the most significant chief executives of
his era and that his approach to business and its role in society has
been both valuable and path-breaking." -- Financial Times
The ex-Unilever CEO who increased his shareholders' returns by 300%
while ensuring the company ranked #1 in the world for sustainability
for eleven years running has, for the first time, revealed how to do it.
Teaming up with Andrew Winston, one of the world's most authoritative
voices on corporate sustainability, Paul Polman shows business leaders
how to take on humanity's greatest and most urgent challenges--climate
change and inequality--and build a thriving business as a result.
In this candid and straight-talking handbook, Polman and Winston reveal
the secrets of Unilever's success and pull back the curtain on some of
the world's most powerful c-suites. Net Positive boldly argues that
the companies of the future will profit by fixing the world's problems,
not creating them.
Together the authors explode our most prevalent corporate myths: from
the idea that business' only function is to maximise profits, to the
naïve hope that Corporate Social Responsibility will save our species
from disaster. These approaches, they argue, are destined for the
graveyard. Instead, they show corporate leaders how to make their
companies "Net Positive"--thriving by giving back more to the world than
they take. Net Positive companies unleash innovation, build trust,
attract the best people, thrill customers, and secure lasting success,
all by helping create stronger, more inclusive societies and a healthier
planet. Heal the world first, they argue, and you'll satisfy your
investors as a result.
With ambitious vision and compelling stories, Net Positive will teach
you how to find the inner purpose and courage you need to embrace the
only business model that will matter in the years ahead. You will learn
how to lead others and unlock your company's soul, while setting and
delivering big and aggressive goals, and taking responsibility for all
of your company's impacts. You'll find out the secrets to partnering
with others, including your competition and critics, to drive
transformative change from which you will prosper. You'll build a
company that serves your people, your customers, your communities, your
shareholders--and your children and grandchildren will thank you for it.
Is this win-win for business and humanity too good to be true? Don't
believe it. The world's smartest CEOs are already taking their companies
on the Net Positive journey and benefitting as a result. Will you be
left behind?
Join the movement at netpositive.world
