Regenerative Business Voices: Values-based Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Enterprises

Regenerative sustainability recognizes the urgency of transforming organizations to reverse the unsustainable pathways we are currently on. Regenerative businesses do not simply do less harm, or produce zero emissions, or optimize the efficient use of natural resources; they also restore and enhance well-being in social and ecological systems. The stories presented here are analyzed using the business ethics approach called Giving Voice to Values (GVV). Through the application of GVV principles, we uncover the processes involved in how regenerative businesses develop and function, and gain insights into how business leaders voice their deep convictions, overcome silencing rationalizations, normalize their execution of personal choice, discover deep purpose in their work, and draw on their personal histories to create new ways of doing business. We present and analyze these cases to understand how and why expressing values can be so crucial in developing sustainable businesses, and to provide practical examples of how individuals can generate enthusiasm, counter objections, gain allies, and prepare for and practice conversations that help them move forward.