Paul Polman: Hope is Putting the Heart Back in Companies for Net Positive Change

In this episode of the Hopecast, Dr. Jane Goodall speaks with Paul Polman, business leader, campaigner, and author of Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take. He is also the co-founder and chair of IMAGINE, an organization that strives to build net positive companies that combat climate change, nature loss and global inequality. A leading proponent that business should be a force for good, Paul has been described by the Financial Times as “a standout CEO of the past decade.” In this conversation, Paul shares his journey to business leadership and how growing up in the socially conscious culture of the 1960’s fostered in him a sense of global empathy. From there, Jane and Paul discuss new, environmentally conscious trends in business. Paul sees that corporations hear consumer and staff demands for ethical business practices and understand the necessity of sustainability and social justice. Paul’s work with IMAGINE is to help find ways for these companies to turn those ideas into action internally and within the supply chain. Together, they reflect on the effects of unsustainable production, and globalization, and consider the role of corrupt governments and systems of inequality as perpetuating major problems, like the climate crisis. Finally, they consider the hopeful possibilities, and how to replace environmentally and socially harmful industries while fulfilling the needs of both consumers and laborers. Ultimately, Paul believes in our collective ability to protect our planet and hopes to “bring the heart of humanity back to business.”

At the End of the Rainbow: Stay to the end of the episode to hear a clip of Dr. Goodall discussing the necessity of redefining corporate and governmental relationships with the natural world.