Moral Footprint

Post-Growth Business, Patagonia's Ownership Revolution & The Wealth Siphon | Dr Jennifer Hinton

What if business was designed for people, not profit? That's the question at the heart of this conversation between Jeni Miles and ecological economist Dr Jennifer Hinton — and the answer might be more radical, and more hopeful, than you expect.Dr Hinton argues that inequality and ecological breakdown aren't the result of bad actors or poor leadership. They're the inevitable output of a business system structurally designed to extract and accumulate private wealth. Swap the CEO, tighten the regulations, launch another ESG initiative — and the system keeps doing exactly what it was built to do.The alternative? Not-for-profit business structures that stop the wealth siphon before it even begins — making economies distributive by design rather than trying to redistribute wealth after the fact.Drawing on her five-dimension post-growth business framework, Dr Hinton walks through what genuinely transformative business looks like — from steward ownership models to Patagonia's ownership revolution, to what democratic governance and relocalisation could look like next.They also get into the circular economy's blind spot (you can't keep growing the circle on a finite planet), why 86% of corporate workers privately support post-growth practices but underestimate their peers' support, and what Big Tech might look like if it was structured as public infrastructure rather than private empire.KEY TAKEAWAYS• The relationship to profit is the most fundamental layer of any business — everything else flows from it• Even good people behave poorly in bad systems — structural change matters more than individual ethics• Not-for-profit business structures stop the wealth siphon before it begins — distributive by design• Swapping the CEO cannot fix a structurally broken system• Patagonia's ownership transformation is a real-world blueprint — and democratic governance could take it further• 86% of corporate workers support post-growth practices but underestimate their peers' support• A post-growth working week could mean shorter hours, stronger communities, and a genuinely circular local economyABOUT DR JENNIFER HINTONDr Jennifer Hinton is an ecological economist, systems researcher, and co-author of How on Earth. Her post-growth business framework bridges micro and macro economics to diagnose — and redesign — the structures driving our global crises.jenniferhinton.orgLINKS & RESOURCESHow on Earth — howonearth.usKate Raworth — kateraworth.comDoughnut Economics Action Lab — doughnuteconomics.orgSteward Ownership — steward-ownership.com/enPurpose Economy — purpose-economy.org/enUpstream Podcast, Part 1 episode on worker co-ops — https://www.upstreampodcast.org/workercoops1Della Duncan — dellazduncan.comLuke Kemp, Cambridge — cser.ac.uk/team/luke-kempDigital Degrowth, Michael Kwet — plutobooks.com/product/digital-degrowthHouse of Hackney: houseofhackney.com/pages/nature-our-directorFOLLOW JENI MILESLinkedIn — linkedin.com/in/jenifisherSubstack — moralfootprint.substack.com

Stakeholder Solidarity & the Silence Within: Reflections from World Beautiful Business Forum

Behavioural scientist and business consultant Jeni Miles reflects on the World Beautiful Business Forum in Athens and shares the talk she gave as part of its Ministry of Regeneration track. Drawing on a (preprint) study with over 400 UK for-profit managers, she reveals a striking paradox: the majority privately support post-growth business practices and believe business must operate within planetary and social limits. Yet most assume their peers don't support these views, silencing a consensus that already exists. She also examines why the governance structures most businesses take for granted are profoundly undemocratic, and what it would actually mean to design stakeholder solidarity into the legal architecture of a company. Full show notes, links and resources: https://moralfootprint.substack.com [https://moralfootprint.substack.com] KEY TAKEAWAYS * Discover how 92-93% of UK business managers support doughnut economy principles * Understand how pluralistic ignorance silences the corporate majority and preserves the status quo * Learn how two billionaire founders can legally override the preferences of 160,000 employees * Explore real precedents for democratic business governance, from German co-determination law to multi-stakeholder cooperatives * Challenge the assumption that mission-led for-profit companies can reliably put purpose before profit * Recognise how big tech's retreat from climate commitments in favour of AI infrastructure locks in irreversible emissions LINKS & RESOURCES Bayo Akomolafe https://www.bayoakomolafe.net [https://www.bayoakomolafe.net] World Beautiful Business Forum https://houseofbeautifulbusiness.com/world-beautiful-business-forum [https://houseofbeautifulbusiness.com/world-beautiful-business-forum] Dr Dario Krpan (LSE) https://www.lse.ac.uk/people/dario-krpan [https://www.lse.ac.uk/people/dario-krpan] Dr Frédéric Basso (LSE) https://www.lse.ac.uk/people/frederic-basso [https://www.lse.ac.uk/people/frederic-basso] Kate Raworth- author of Doughnut Economics https://www.kateraworth.com [https://www.kateraworth.com] DrJennifer Hinto (ecological economist) https://jenniferhinton.org [https://jenniferhinton.org] Dr Luke Kemp (societal collapse researcher) https://www.cser.ac.uk/team/luke-kemp [https://www.cser.ac.uk/team/luke-kemp] House of Hackney, who legally appointed a Mother Nature and Future Generations Director to their board https://www.houseofhackney.com [https://www.houseofhackney.com] Extinction Rebellion https://extinctionrebellion.uk [https://extinctionrebellion.uk] Doughnut Economics Action Lab https://doughnuteconomics.org [https://doughnuteconomics.org] The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens https://www.thegreatsimplification.com [https://www.thegreatsimplification.com] Google and natural gas — Distilled Earthhttps://www.distilled.earth/p/google-is-weighing-natural-gas-without [https://www.distilled.earth/p/google-is-weighing-natural-gas-without] Meta funds ten natural gas plants for AI — Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonmarkman/2026/03/31/meta-funds-ten-natural-gas-plants-to-power-its-largest-ai-campus/ [https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonmarkman/2026/03/31/meta-funds-ten-natural-gas-plants-to-power-its-largest-ai-campus/] FOLLOW JENI MILES LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenifisher/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenifisher/]Substack: https://moralfootprint.substack.com [https://moralfootprint.substack.com] Subscribe, leave a review and share with someone who needs to hear this, thank you!

Polycollapse and the Future of Business Strategy | Alice Kalro

Alice Kalro joins host Jeni Miles to explore why traditional businesses fail to transform amidst systemic breakdown. As founder of arkH3 and lead author of "Leading Through the Polycollapse," Alice believes that conventional corporate sustainability approaches amount to "fairy tales" disconnected from planetary realities. Key Takeaways: * Understand that polycollapse describes multiple interrelated breakdown processes across environmental, economic, and social systems * Recognise that conventional sustainability approaches focused on "doing less harm" remain fundamentally inadequate * Accept that financial system collapse may occur in the 2030s, preceding full ecological breakdown * Prepare for metadisruption—the predictable aggravation of current trends affecting multiple industries * Transform core business models toward providing essential needs without causing harm * Abandon incremental metrics for binary questions about business necessity and impact * Match your level of courage to your level of privilege to drive systemic change Timestamps:  00:00 — Introduction and overview of polycollapse  07:59 — Approaching difficult conversations about systemic breakdown 13:52 — Understanding polycollapse versus other collapse terminology 18:44 — How systemic foresight differs from traditional scenario planning 23:49 — Financial system collapse and meta-disruption 30:49 — Implications for shareholder value and future business viability 37:18 — Metrics for future-compatible business models 41:20 — Matching courage to privilege for business leaders Resources: * arkH3: https://www.arkh3.com [https://www.arkh3.com] * Leading Through the Polycollapse eBook: https://www.arkh3.com/resources/leading-through-the-polycollapse-a-guide-to-systemic-foresight-for-vuca-native-strategy [https://www.arkh3.com/resources/leading-through-the-polycollapse-a-guide-to-systemic-foresight-for-vuca-native-strategy]  * arkH3’s training programs: https://training-series.arkh3.com/ [https://training-series.arkh3.com/]  * Regeneration Journal interview: https://www.regenerationjournal.org/on-leading-through-the-polycollapse-an-interview-with-alice-kalro-claudia-gasparovic-and-julio-campos/ [https://www.regenerationjournal.org/on-leading-through-the-polycollapse-an-interview-with-alice-kalro-claudia-gasparovic-and-julio-campos/] * Breaking Together by Jem Bendell: https://jembendell.com/2023/04/08/breaking-together-a-freedom-loving-response-to-collapse/ [https://jembendell.com/2023/04/08/breaking-together-a-freedom-loving-response-to-collapse/] * Global Tipping Points Conference: https://global-tipping-points.org/conference-2025/ [https://global-tipping-points.org/conference-2025/] * Business Declares: https://businessdeclares.com [https://businessdeclares.com] Connect: * Follow Alice on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-kalro/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-kalro/]  * Follow Jeni on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenifisher/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenifisher/] * Subscribe to the Moral Footprint Substack: https://moralfootprint.substack.com/ [https://moralfootprint.substack.com/] About Alice Kalro: Alice Kalro is founder of arkH3 and an emerging global thought leader in transformational corporate sustainability, providing practical guidance on science- and ethics-aligned business transformation for a just and liveable future.

From Systems Thinking to Systems Feeling: Transforming Business with Donnie Maclurcan

Post-growth economist Donnie Maclurcan joins host Jeni Miles to explore why systems transformation requires moving from thinking to feeling. From not-for-profit business models to the circulation of money and power, Donnie reveals how embodied wisdom might be our most revolutionary tool against extractive capitalism and why slowing down in urgent times could be the key to creating regenerative systems. Key Takeaways * Understand why capitalism creates disconnection from our bodies and embodied wisdom * Learn the difference between not-for-profit businesses and B Corps or social enterprises * Discover how debt expansion is a feature of capitalism, not the monetary system * Explore moving from "systems thinking" to "systems feeling" for transformation * See how moving your money, pensions, and investments can create systemic change * Experience the offers and needs markets methodology for community resilience Donnie Maclurcan is Director of Strategy with the Post Growth Institute. He joins us from Patagonia where he lives with his wife and their cats. * Follow Donnie on LinkedIn: https://ar.linkedin.com/in/donniemaclurcan [https://ar.linkedin.com/in/donniemaclurcan] * Follow Donnie on Bluesky: https://web-cdn.bsky.app/profile/donmacca.bsky.social [https://web-cdn.bsky.app/profile/donmacca.bsky.social] People and Resources Mentioned: * Post Growth Institute: https://postgrowth.org/ [https://postgrowth.org/] * How on Earth? Book https://howonearth.us/ [https://howonearth.us/] * Colin Saltmere: https://au.linkedin.com/in/colin-saltmere-09762485 [https://au.linkedin.com/in/colin-saltmere-09762485] * Better Off by Eric Brende (an Amish lifestyle experiment) https://www.amazon.com/Better-Off-Flipping-Switch-Technology/dp/0060570059 [https://www.amazon.com/Better-Off-Flipping-Switch-Technology/dp/0060570059] * Offers and Needs Markets methodology: https://postgrowth.org/offers-and-needs-markets/ [https://offersandneeds.com/] * Triodos Bank (sustainable banking example): https://triodos.co.uk/ [https://triodos.co.uk/] * Bayo Akomolafe's The Times Are Urgent, Let Us Slow Down open letter https://www.bayoakomolafe.net/post/the-times-are-urgent-lets-slow-down [https://www.bayoakomolafe.net/post/the-times-are-urgent-lets-slow-down] * The Co-operative Bank (UK not-for-profit banking): https://www.co-operativebank.co.uk/ [https://www.co-operativebank.co.uk/] * The WEIRD Study (research on Western assumptions): https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1601785 [https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1601785] * AORTA Co-Op: https://aorta.coop/ [https://aorta.coop/] * BLIS Collective https://www.bliscollective.org/ [https://www.bliscollective.org/] * adrienne maree brown https://www.instagram.com/adriennemareebrown/ [https://www.instagram.com/adriennemareebrown/] Sociocracy as a governance system https://www.sociocracyforall.org/sociocracy/ [https://www.sociocracyforall.org/sociocracy/] Follow Jeni on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenifisher/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenifisher/] Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCChD92b63Sfh5xeNFMM5lCA [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCChD92b63Sfh5xeNFMM5lCA] Read the Moral Footprint newsletter: https://moralfootprint.substack.com [https://moralfootprint.substack.com]

Rethinking NGOs and Silicon Valley VC in Africa with Joy Njeri

Jeni Miles [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenifisher/] speaks with Joy Njeri [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joy-njeri/], systems doula and regenerative economy advocate, about why current African development models are creating dependency rather than empowerment. From NGOs to corporate work, Joy exposes how Western funding structures perpetuate colonial patterns in both humanitarian and venture capital sectors, advocating instead for community-led, regenerative economics approaches. Key Takeaways: •Question the dependency models created by NGO funding that prioritise donor agendas over local solutions. •Recognise how Silicon Valley VC replicates colonial extraction by favouring white founders and imposed scaling models. •Understand why 70% of African startups fail at seed stage due to misaligned Western investment criteria. •Explore indigenous wisdom systems like commitment pooling as alternatives to extractive business models. •Examine how Tempo Arts community created regenerative solutions near Kenya's largest dump site — without external funding. •Embrace businesses as interconnected living systems that must strengthen, not extract from, their communities. About Joy: Joy co-authored the upcoming book Seismic Questions [https://minouschillings.com/seismic-questions-cocreated-boo/] and contributes to the Doughnut Economics community in Kenya. Next Steps: • Leave a review to help others discover the show. • Follow Joy on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joy-njeri/] • Follow Jeni on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenifisher/] • Subscribe to the Moral Footprint Substack [https://moralfootprint.substack.com/] Links & Resources: •Seismic Questions (book) [https://minouschillings.com/seismic-questions-cocreated-boo/] •Tempo Arts Centre (Kenya) [https://www.facebook.com/groups/640727386515453/] •Grassroots Economics [https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/] •Global Donut Days 2025 [https://doughnuteconomics.org/gdd2025] •Jennifer Hinton [https://se.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-hinton-758a544] – Post-Growth Business Dimensions [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016328721000707]