
The business community must step-up to ensure a green and fair COVID-19 recovery
In an exclusive interview with Positive Luxury, renowned thought-leader and business strategist John Elkington has urged brands with sustainability at their heart to support governments and other businesses in designing and implementing coronavirus recovery plans which benefit people and planet as well as the economy. Elkington is the founder of Volans, which works to drive market-based solutions to global challenges, and is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading figures in CSR and sustainable development. He notably sits on Positive Luxury’s Sustainability Council and some further 20 key boards and advisory panels. Speaking exclusively to Positive Luxury, Elkington reiterated his belief that the coronavirus pandemic – while tragic in terms of loss of life and livelihood – does ultimately present a longer-term opportunity for a break from the policy frameworks and business models which have put the Earth on track for a 3C temperature rise by 2050, cause continued and accelerating exploitation of natural resources and contribute to social inequality. “The global economic agenda which has been built over the past 25 to 30 years is unravelling,” Elkington said, alluding to impacts felt in sectors such as oil and aviation. “I think we need a meltdown of this sort to take away an unsustainable economic order… Business is seen...