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

“Sustainability has become more marketing than action,” says environmental business journalist Esha Chhabra. Challenging conventional business models solely focused on profit, she shares how regenerative companies that embed purpose into every facet of their operations can drive real change — and make things better for people and the planet. If you love watching TED Talks…

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“Sustainability has become more marketing than action,” says environmental business journalist Esha Chhabra. Challenging conventional business models solely focused on profit, she shares how regenerative companies that embed purpose into every facet of their operations can drive real change — and make things better for people and the planet.

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55 Comments

  1. @rickveer

    March 6, 2024 at 7:05 am

    Interesting facts 🎉🎉🎉

  2. @user-ye7wf3og3g

    March 6, 2024 at 7:05 am

    اخي عاد باقي اخوه إيمانيه طلبتك حق كيس طحين اخي احنا نساء ما بتقدر نخرج بين الرجال عاد باقي مره عندكم اخي ربي اكرمكم انكم رجال احنا نساء ما بتقدر نخرج ولا نشتغل مثلكم اخي وين الاخوه الايمانيه في قلوبكم احنا نساءلاخوه ولا رحمه😥 ولا شفقه ولا انسانيه وبشر الصابرين هي أكبر أمل بأنتظار ما🎉”💔:قال عز وجل [[مَّآ أَفَآءَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِۦ مِنۡ أَهۡلِ ٱلۡقُرَىٰ فَلِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ وَلِذِي ٱلۡقُرۡبَىٰ وَٱلۡيَتَٰمَىٰ وَٱلۡمَسَٰكِينِ وَٱبۡنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ كَيۡ لَا يَكُونَ دُولَةَۢ بَيۡنَ ٱلۡأَغۡنِيَآءِ مِنكُمۡۚ وَمَآ ءَاتَىٰكُمُ ٱلرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَىٰكُمۡ عَنۡهُ فَٱنتَهُواْۚ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلۡعِقَابِ]]كم. ناديت وكم كلامت وكم نشتد ولالكن لاحياةالمن تنادي. ياخي احنا معنا. امي تطلب لنا اكل من المطعم. زويده واليوم. امي روحت. تبكي قالت ليش يامي تبكي. قالتي يابنتي. اني اسال. الله. اني. يعزني بالموت. قالته. ليش. يامي. تدعي علينا. قالتي.يابنتي اليوم صاحب. المطعم. سبني قله.ليش. اشله الزويده من حيث الناس. اني اسال الله يابنتي. انه الله يحشرني. بالموت وحده حشره افضله. من هذا البهدله واهذ الهيني. صحيصح. اني هذا الكلام. ينقص من قدري ومن احترمي. لاكن ياخي. شهدالله اني مانطقت هذا الكلام ابوس جزمتك. من اشده الجوع ماعد ضمير سمحه لي اني اخلي تروح تطلب لنا اكل. اني ابوس جزمتك ياخي واني اسالك بالله العظيم وفي كتاب الالاله ياخي اني ابوس جزمتك ياخي. غير علينا غره ياخي حتي الف ريال يمني نشتري لنا كيوله دقيقه ياخي ارحمنه من في العرض يرحمكم من في السماء ياخي هاذا رقمي واتساب00967712589393 الذي يقدر يساعدنا يراسلني على الواتساب نرسله ألاسم الكامل يحولنا بقدر استطاعته الله يجزيكم خير يعلم الله ان صاحب البيت بيخرجنا في الشارع بين الامطار بسبب الاجارشوفو حالتي ب انفسكم اسالكم بالله الحي القيوم تساعدوني والله العضيم حتا في اليل ما نقدر ننام من الخوف لا معنا فرشات ولا بطانيات ندفا بها من البرد كل شي غرق من الامطار وحنا ليس.، لدينا احد الا الله ثم انتم اخواني ابوس جزمتك لا تردني خايبه ساعدنا بلذي تقدر عليها هل يرضيكم اننا نعيش في هاذي المكان نحنا بنات وليس لدينا احد ابونا توفا اعتبرونا بناتكم وعرضكم وساعدني يلذي تقدر عليها جزاكم الله خيرا الجزاء؟؟؟ “؟”!”!!”!!!’!’!:!؛!’!’)’++’+’+’!’!’؟!’؛ ¶¶} §§} ✓} ✓} ✓} ✓✓} ✓} ✓} ✓}

  3. @trevorsakameya7232

    March 6, 2024 at 7:06 am

    Amazing

  4. @amitkumar-yv8pl

    March 6, 2024 at 7:17 am

    India is faster groth is slow but international market and india bed heath over economic bad

  5. @LetsGetSmarted

    March 6, 2024 at 7:18 am

    Any business that does not prioritize the bottom line will be outcompeted by another business that does.

    • @capnjackdaniels3663

      March 6, 2024 at 7:38 am

      It’s a race towards oblivion

    • @noparnel1

      March 6, 2024 at 9:51 am

      The race to oblivion/bottom is our current business culture. We need to change.

    • @dariobigongiari875

      March 6, 2024 at 10:03 am

      It’s definitely though, ever heard of Patagonia or in a certain sense Tesla?

    • @Kamilzemlyanin

      March 6, 2024 at 10:37 am

      Becoming monopoly and buying other company, and also privatized government

    • @MandyBB

      March 6, 2024 at 11:06 am

      “Making sure we’re profitable” doesn’t need to come of the expense of everything else. It’s balance and it’s figuring out at what point you’re willing to go “this is big enough”

  6. @tomaszzielinski4521

    March 6, 2024 at 7:39 am

    It’s all cool and noble as long as you own the company and make all decisions. Once you sell your shares to individuals and funds from the other side of the world, you lose that control. And new owners are only concerned about their profits and may not even be aware of what kind of business backs up their dividends.

    • @JohnBrownsBody64920

      March 6, 2024 at 7:47 am

      Not sure I’d describe owning a business as “noble”

    • @belaytriks

      March 6, 2024 at 7:50 am

      ​@@JohnBrownsBody64920 why?

    • @MandyBB

      March 6, 2024 at 12:01 pm

      Don’t gotta join the stockmarket to have a healthy, thriving business. Again, it’s about asking “How big is big enough?”

    • @JohnBrownsBody64920

      March 6, 2024 at 1:44 pm

      @belaytriks  For the same reason that buying stock in Philip Morris in the 1940s isn’t noble. Might be a great investment, but it’s not providing an overall benefit for humanity

  7. @Tttttttttttggghggffhh

    March 6, 2024 at 7:41 am

    This is ridiculous

  8. @JohnBrownsBody64920

    March 6, 2024 at 7:48 am

    Infinite growth doesn’t exist, but companies survive. So obviously the answer is “yes”

  9. @meanderinoranges

    March 6, 2024 at 8:19 am

    We’ve all seen what happens to companies who put politics ahead of financial success. CNN, Anheuser-Busch, and Disney are some examples.

    • @gregbors8364

      March 6, 2024 at 12:56 pm

      I can’t speak for the other two but Disney has been losing money by glutting the market with terrible product. (I presume you’d prefer to blame it on “woke culture” instead)

    • @meanderinoranges

      March 6, 2024 at 1:02 pm

      @@gregbors8364 call it whatever you want, Disney’s products have become terrible because they’re shoehorning their politics into everything.

    • @meanderinoranges

      March 6, 2024 at 1:41 pm

      @@gregbors8364 call it whatever you want, I don’t care. But cramming p0litics into products almost always ruins the products.

  10. @JCOwens-zq6fd

    March 6, 2024 at 8:26 am

    These corporations need to mind their business & stop trying to force publuc behaviours or the publuc will remove them.

    • @MandyBB

      March 6, 2024 at 12:03 pm

      What “public behaviors” are these companies in the video pushing on us?

  11. @cash_burner

    March 6, 2024 at 9:02 am

    You need infinite growth because that’s how capitalism needs to survive

    • @dariobigongiari875

      March 6, 2024 at 9:18 am

      What about some change?

    • @wayne8964

      March 6, 2024 at 12:44 pm

      YEAH BUT HOW ARE *WE* SUPPOSED TO SURVIVE

  12. @bandwidthpiggy9378

    March 6, 2024 at 9:04 am

    You would need to remove the legal requirement that publicly traded companies need to be making decisions that benefit shareholders. Without that, even the best intentions will fall to legal mandates of minmaxing profits for investors.

    • @meanderinoranges

      March 6, 2024 at 9:11 am

      The legal requirement isn’t necessary in the first place. Shareholders will always sell shares in a company that doesn’t prioritize profits, and buy shares in a company that does.

    • @unholyrevenger72

      March 6, 2024 at 10:07 am

      @@meanderinoranges the requirement exists to protect investors from predatory investment bankers.

    • @unholyrevenger72

      March 6, 2024 at 10:15 am

      Not remove, people do need to be protected from predatory investment bankers. It just needs to be… adjusted. Like a “Decaying rate of return” so investment bankers are pushed to reach for a profit when returns are low, not in percentage points mind you, but in hard numbers. However once the return surpasses the countries average personal income. That mandate falls off.

    • @meanderinoranges

      March 6, 2024 at 10:20 am

      @@unholyrevenger72 again, unnecessary nannyism. Buyer beware.

  13. @parjanyashukla176

    March 6, 2024 at 10:06 am

    The capitalists are deaf and they control all governments globally.

  14. @MandyBB

    March 6, 2024 at 11:04 am

    To all the naysayers in the comments saying “this won’t work because…” None of the businesses she listed are on a downward trend. It can work. Other companies need to evolve or their only endgame is eating eachother alive.

  15. @Kismet-1001Nights

    March 6, 2024 at 12:12 pm

    “There are two parts of climate change that everyone needs to understand. One is reducing emissions. But the other part of this is almost as important. How do you change your lifestyle, so that you are far more adaptable?”

    Jo Puri, Associate Vice President,
    International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
    😊
    🙏🏻

    • @gregbors8364

      March 6, 2024 at 12:48 pm

      Industry blaming the consumer is an integral part of the greenwashing strategy

  16. @johnmcmillan7358

    March 6, 2024 at 12:17 pm

    Amen. Bottom line-based business policies clearly are not working to make this planet a livable place for all its inhabitants. Let’s try something different, one company at a time. The term progress needs to be redefined.

  17. @Kismet-1001Nights

    March 6, 2024 at 12:17 pm

    TED ❤️😊

    Here’s how we could move beyond the ‘scare script’ that leads us to demonize others.
    😊
    🙏🏻

  18. @wayne8964

    March 6, 2024 at 12:46 pm

    Infinite growth is also the business model of a tumor

  19. @gregbors8364

    March 6, 2024 at 12:47 pm

    Capitalism will eat the planet, because it has to

  20. @ronkirk5099

    March 6, 2024 at 4:05 pm

    Socially responsible corporations? What a concept that would be, but it is more like a pipe dream. Governments MUST ride herd on corporations to prevent them from completely running amuck.

  21. @niccolom

    March 6, 2024 at 4:21 pm

    Or how about benefit the world AND have infinite growth?

    Anyways, an organization that isn’t for-profit is, pretty frankly, a not-for-profit organization.

    They already exist, and you can definitely start one yourself.

    The problem is, to benefit the world, you need massive amount of money. That’s because the cheap stuff has already been done by other people and/or other not-for-profits.

    What you need to acknowledge is that, your issue begins with the investors, not the companies’ top management.

    If you can somehow convince the investors to forego profit in order to benefit the world, go ahead.

    But before that happens, don’t blame the companies for going for profit. It’s the investors’ fault for being in it only for money.

  22. @jozra4503

    March 6, 2024 at 4:31 pm

    Has she heard about stock market? Her ideas are illegal there.

  23. @kendrasullivan7407

    March 6, 2024 at 6:37 pm

    Remember, infinite growth is cancer!

  24. @egyptwns89_26

    March 6, 2024 at 6:44 pm

    There are a lot of businesses out there who claim to be solving problems. It’s the bandwagon fad now (kind of like in the 60’s and 70’s). I think the real problem that needs to be solved is, “Is this practical or impractical?”.

  25. @tierrasworld

    March 6, 2024 at 8:24 pm

    You asking us why and should be asking the government why they doing what they doing to us and why aren’t all businesses going global. So much hidden from us for a paycheck

  26. @poornimavamsiacademy8025

    March 6, 2024 at 8:33 pm

    Hi Esha, I left a connect message on LinkedIn and would love to connect with you, to chat and share experiences on what I do and how I can be part of this global transformation that you are so earnestly working on.

  27. @Claus-dx2qy

    March 6, 2024 at 11:52 pm

    What part of The World is she talking … sorry … dreaming of?

  28. @buggenkeyed

    March 7, 2024 at 12:32 am

    Great words 🎉❤

  29. @marksusskind1260

    March 7, 2024 at 12:36 am

    the prevailing notion is that only more is enough

  30. @praneetk1991

    March 7, 2024 at 3:35 am

    Winrar did it. The secret is to become a meme.

  31. @dudeamongus

    March 7, 2024 at 8:58 am

    The root problem with her concept is that following politician’s lead for what is beneficial for the public is a recipe for disaster. The pandemic was a stark example of how this played out against humanity, with them feeding the public lies, manipulating the media on a grand scale and affecting the outcome negatively even though it was framed as a positive movement.

    That’s not to say that companies can’t do better. They can, but the entire system is corrupt and rotten from the roots up and polishing an apple on a rotten tree won’t change the tree.

  32. @user-ew8xj5pg7y

    March 7, 2024 at 11:21 am

    God loves you and takes care of you so that this message reaches you. God is the one who created this great universe and has complete control over it. And the greatest loss that a person loses in this life is that he lives while he does not know God who created him, knowing the Messenger of Muhammad, the last of the messengers, and the Islamic religion, the last of the heavenly religions.  The great intelligence, before you believe in something or not, is to read it, study it, and understand it well, and then you have the choice to believe in it or not. I advise you on this now before you do not have time to do that.

  33. @beautifullifemedia2733

    March 7, 2024 at 12:08 pm

    What she is preaching is crucial!
    Listen to this lady. God bless her.

  34. @Tomoya575

    March 7, 2024 at 8:16 pm

    For some discussions, balance sheet basis issues are to be solved by the bottom line business piece back from the existing ones, a bit so much vested any way.

  35. @micahcabrera4637

    March 8, 2024 at 3:12 pm

    I like her message, but the reality is that the people doing business this way are the people already oriented toward the values being espoused here. In a talk about impact, preaching to the TED choir looks highly intentional. I’d be more interested in a conversation about how alternative incentive structures could influence those who don’t hold egalitarian values toward having socially beneficial impact.

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