The Collaboration Economy: How to Meet Business, Social, and Environmental Needs and Gain Competitive Advantage

"Leaders need to implement these ideas to recover our economy, save our environment, bring about social justice, and create a healthier world."
Deepak Chopra Author of Superbrain

Praise for The Collaboration Economy

"The Collaboration Economy is a powerful read for businesses and organizations that are passionate about enhancing community well–being and solving the challenging issues of our times. As Eric Lowitt so deftly illustrates, magical things happen when you bring together the Golden Triangle of business, government, and civil society to form partnerships that are deeply focused, uncompromisingly actionable, and highly accountable. This is an important book for any community–minded leader."
Muhtar Kent, chairman and chief executive officer, The Coca–Cola Company

"Any business model that aims to deliver positive economic and environmental and social outcomes, as we in Unilever aspire to, will depend heavily on cooperation, collaboration, and partnerships. We need the kind of innovative thinking that makes The Collaboration Economy such a riveting read."
Paul Polman, chief executive officer, Unilever

"WWF′s most enduring achievements come through unlikely partnerships. We face challenges too vast to solve by ourselves. It will take the energy and efforts of many to create a sustainable future for all. The Collaboration Economy takes a clear–headed view on this important topic... an insightful, engaging read."
Carter Roberts, president and chief executive officer, World Wildlife Fund

"Organizations must embrace an interdependent view where the interests of all stakeholders throughout their value chains are addressed in mutually beneficial ways. Eric Lowitt continues to bring clarity to the evolving relationship among profit, growth, and responsibility. The path forward relies on organizations committing to collaborative approaches to achieve the operational agility, competitive resiliency, and effective risk management that will sustain their success."
Steve Bowen, president and chief executive officer, Maine Pointe

Preface vii

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction 1

Part One: Welcome to the Collaboration Economy 13

1. The Collaboration Economy: Prosperity and Social Dimensions Aligned 15

Part Two: Bringing the Collaboration Economy to Life and Scale 43

2. Renewing the Global Energy Sector 45
Eric Lowitt

3. Turning Packaging Materials into Capital 67
Kim Jeffery, Michael Washburn, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Chris Bartle, and Eric Lowitt

4. Renewing the Global Food System 87
Jan Kees Vis, Hal Hamilton, and Eric Lowitt

5. Responsibility as Profitability: Toward Responsible Shipbreaking 107
Petter Heier and Eric Lowitt

6. Renewing Consumerism 125
Judith Merkies MEP, Roope Mokka, and Eric Lowitt

7. Connecting the Water Drops 143
Bea Perez and Eric Lowitt

Part Three: Putting It All Together to Move Forward 169

8. Becoming a Collaborative Leader 171

9. Winning in the Collaboration Economy 187

10. Where Do We Go from Here? 213

Endnotes 223

About the Author 233

Index 234

Eric Lowitt is a premier strategy and sustainability advisor to CEOs worldwide. He is the author of The Future of Value from Jossey–Bass and writes a regular column for both The Guardian and HBR.org. Eric is the founder of Nexus Global Advisors, a leading strategy, collaboration, and sustainability advisory firm. To learn more about how Nexus Global Advisors can help you, visit www.nexusglobaladvisors.com.

To learn more about Eric, visit www.ericlowitt.com.