Humanity's pursuit of greatness meets the reality of finite resources
In The Frugal Economy: A Guide to Building a Better World With Less, award-winning author Navi Radjou delivers an incisive and engrossing treatment of how human beings facing climate change can reconcile our built-in drive to “do more” and “be better” with our planet's finite resources. You'll discover how we can thrive within planetary boundaries while achieving sustainable growth for generations to come.
In this groundbreaking book, enriched with over 100 inspiring examples, you'll learn how to create greater value with less and find:
- Practical strategies for doing more with less, benefiting both people and the planet
- Success stories of businesses fueling transformative megatrends like B2B sharing, distributed manufacturing, and triple regeneration
- Insights into reshaping economic systems to promote social and ecological harmony
Whether you're a businessperson, professional, student, academic, policymaker, regulator, or entrepreneur, you can join the movement towards a sustainable future. Get your copy of The Frugal Economy today and become a catalyst for positive change!
Table of Contents
Introduction: Respect and Break All Limits 1
Chapter 1 Doing Better with Less 7
Part I The B2B Sharing Revolution 15
Chapter 2 The Big Benefits of B2B Sharing 17
B2B Sharing Boosts Business Efficiency, Agility, and Innovation 17
The Social and Ecological Benefits of B2B Sharing 21
Chapter 3 Mastering B2B Sharing 29
Level 1: Sharing Waste and Discarded Resources 29
Level 2: Sharing Physical Assets 33
Space 33
Production Capacity 34
Shipping 34
Equipment and Materials 34
Transportation 34
Rivals Unite 35
Level 3: Sharing Purchasing Power 36
Level 4: Sharing Employees 39
Level 5: Sharing Clients 43
Level 6: Sharing Intellectual Property and Knowledge 45
Mastering the Full Spectrum 47
Chapter 4 From Smart Sharing to Wise Sharing 51
Value Versus Values 52
Achieving SDGs Faster, Better, Cheaper 55
Part II Distributed Manufacturing and Hyper-Local Value Networks 61
Chapter 5 Scaling Out Manufacturing 63
9/11, COVID-19, and the Need for Adaptive Supply Networks 65
Scaling Out Versus Scaling Up 69
Scaling Out Auto Manufacturing to Maximize Local Impact 70
Scaling Out Energy Generation to Build Sustainable Communities 72
Chapter 6 Scaling Out Next-Gen Virtuous Economies 79
Turning Waste into Gold 79
Curing Our Fossil Fuel Addiction with the Bioeconomy 81
Enhancing Lives Through Personalized Medicine 83
Capturing and Using CO 2 to Create Local Value 85
Chapter 7 Hyper-Local Value Networks 91
The Value Chain Fails to Engage “Prosumers” 97
The Value Chain Doesn’t Favor External Collaboration 99
The Value Chain Is Optimized for Efficiency and Not Adaptability 99
The Value Chain Is Too Complex to Decarbonize and Reach Net Zero 100
Part III Regenerating People, Places, and the Planet 111
Chapter 8 The Rise of Regenerative Businesses 113
Regenerative Businesses Do More Good 118
Regenerating the Land and the Farmers Who Feed Us: Danone North America 120
Regenerating the Amazon’s Natural and Cultural Biodiversity: Natura 121
Regenerating Local Communities with Factories as Forests: Interface 121
Regenerating Rural America with Knowledge-Based Work: Sparq 122
Chapter 9 Regenerative Development 129
Expanding Awareness and Acting Consciously 131
Regenerating the Spirit of a Broken Town 133
Chapter 10 How Businesses Can Lead Triple Regeneration 141
Humanizing Regeneration and Anchoring It in Places 143
Boosting Corporate Vitality and Longevity Through Triple Regeneration 149
Meiji Yasuda Boosts Your Vitality Rather Than Insuring Against Mortality 152
Beyond Sustainable Fashion: Eileen Fisher Leads Triple Regeneration 155
Part IV Frugal America 159
Chapter 11 The US Must Lead by Example 161
A Pioneer in Frugal Health Care 165
Empowering Women Through Grassroots Entrepreneurship 168
Chapter 12 Let 3,143 Frugal Economies Blossom 173
B2B Sharing: Replacing Competition with Cooperation 173
Distributed Manufacturing: Unleashing Hyper-Local Opportunities 175
Triple Regeneration: Revitalizing the Soul of the Heartland 178
Conclusion: The Rise of Frugal Natives 187
Notes 191
Acknowledgments 229
About the Author 231
Index 233
