From Harm Reduction to Healing
Moving beyond sustainability to actively heal ecosystems and communities through innovative business models
For decades, the mantra in business and innovation has been "sustainability." The goal has been to meet our present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs—to do less harm. Yet, as we face escalating climate crises, resource scarcity, and social inequality, a powerful new question emerges: What if doing less harm is simply not enough? What if our economic models could be designed not just to sustain the world, but to actively heal and regenerate it?
This is the visionary premise of the regenerative economy. On 16 April 2020, Professor Kim Poldner of The Hague University of Applied Sciences launched the research group Circular Business with an introductory speech that championed this exact idea. She proposed a radical shift: entrepreneurs are not just business people; they are vital actors in "entrepreneuring a regenerative society." 1
This concept moves beyond the circular economy's focus on closing material loops, urging instead a holistic approach where businesses function as living systems that restore ecosystems, uplift communities, and create multiple forms of value. This article explores the principles of this transformation and showcases how small businesses are already paving the way.
The old, linear "take-make-waste" model of business is increasingly recognised as unsustainable for the planet, our societies, and our well-being 6 . The journey of business evolution has several stages, which can be thought of as moving from "doing less harm" to becoming truly "life-affirming" 3 .
| Stage of Development | Core Business Mindset | Primary Approach & Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Do Less Harm (CSR) | Mitigate Risks | Social/environmental initiatives in silos, often used for marketing, without addressing overall impact. |
| 2. Do No Harm (Sustainability) | Incremental Change | Reducing negative impacts like emissions and waste, but falling short in situations of ecological overshoot. |
| 3. Do More Good (Restoration) | Net Positive | Replenishing and repairing systems, but often failing to address root causes like over-consumption. |
| 4. Regenerative & Equitable (Transformation) | Life-Affirming | Operating with a living systems mindset; restoring ecosystems and addressing systemic inequalities 3 . |
Regenerative businesses are those that reach Stage 4. They are distinguished by a set of core principles that guide their every action. Based on frameworks like the Compass for Regenerative Business, these principles can be distilled into five key areas 3 :
The company's mission is transformational, contributing to a better world and guiding all decisions, moving beyond an obsession with revenue growth.
The business operates in a "right relationship" with nature, prioritizing ecosystem health and giving back more than it takes.
The organization empowers employees, fosters robust cultures through distributed decision-making, and focuses on well-being to unlock human potential.
The company cultivates collaborative, co-creative relationships with its ecosystem of partners, moving beyond an exploitative mindset.
The business is deeply committed to locality, honoring the unique history, culture, and needs of the communities in which it operates and acting reciprocally with them.
How do these principles translate into tangible business practice? Researchers from The Hague University of Applied Sciences put theory to the test through an action research project: a three-month pop-up store called KLEER in the Autumn of 2020 1 . This store served as a live "test lab" to experiment with circular business models around buying, swapping, and borrowing second-hand clothing 1 .
The researchers operated the physical store and used sensory ethnography to gather rich, real-world data on customer interactions and business model viability 1 . The project was guided by the Business Model Template (BMT), a tool that, unlike the common Business Model Canvas, specifically accounts for multiple value creation (social, ecological, economic), making it ideal for circular business experimentation 1 . The team tested a combination of models—resale, swapping, and rental—to see which, or which mix, could create a viable business case for a small fashion retailer 1 .
The experiment yielded crucial insights. It revealed that a pure Product-as-a-Service (P-a-a-S) model, such as clothing rental, often struggles to be financially viable for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Dutch context 1 . The focus on the physical product alone was insufficient. Instead, the success of KLEER hinged on three innovative strategies that represent a blueprint for regenerative business in fashion retail 1 :
Shift from renting a product to offering an experiential service around fashion, providing style, identity, and convenience.
The physical store became a community hub for connection, conversation, and shared learning about circularity.
Customers weren't just buyers; they were swappers, borrowers, and participants in events, collectively creating value.
The financial and environmental outcomes of these different models within the pop-up were telling 1 :
| Business Model | Customer Engagement | Key Financial Finding | Value Created |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resale (Second-hand) | High; familiar and accessible | Stable revenue stream | Economic, Ecological (waste reduction) |
| Swapping | Very High; created excitement and community | Low direct revenue, high indirect value | Social (community), Ecological |
| Borrowing (Rental) | Niche; required significant customer education | Low volume; not viable as a standalone model | Ecological (extending garment life) |
For entrepreneurs and researchers looking to embark on similar regenerative business experiments, the KLEER case study points to a essential toolkit that blends conceptual frameworks with practical methods.
| Tool / Method | Primary Function | Application in a Business Context |
|---|---|---|
| Business Model Template (BMT) | Conceptual Framework | Provides a structured canvas to plot activities and measure multiple forms of value (economic, social, ecological) beyond profit 1 . |
| Action Research | Methodology | The researcher actively intervenes in a real-world setting (e.g., runs a pop-up store) to create change and simultaneously study the effects 1 . |
| Sensory Ethnography | Data Collection | Involves deeply observing and documenting the sights, sounds, and feelings of a business environment to understand customer interactions and value creation 1 . |
| Pop-up Store / Test Lab | Experimental Platform | Creates a low-risk, real-world environment to test business models, gather customer feedback, and iterate quickly before scaling 1 . |
The work of regenerative entrepreneurship is not confined to fashion. Across industries, pioneers are demonstrating how these principles can be put into practice, showing that profitability and deep positive impact are not mutually exclusive.
A beauty company that made a groundbreaking legal move by appointing a representative of "Nature" to its board of directors, giving the natural world a direct voice in corporate governance 3 .
PlanetA footwear company that empowers its people by providing allowances for personal development and "nature days," and has eliminated rigid role titles to foster deeper collaboration and creativity 3 .
PeopleA coffee company that revolutionizes its partner relationships by offering farmers fair, fixed pricing, sharing the risk of crop failures, and helping them diversify their income, thereby building genuine, long-term resilience 3 .
PartnersThese examples, along with the KLEER experiment, prove that a new paradigm is not only possible but is already being built. They illustrate a shift from individualistic competition to collaborative ecosystem creation, where success is measured by the health and vitality of the entire system 6 .
The journey to a regenerative society is not a solitary one led by a few "heropreneurs." As Professor Poldner's work emphasizes, it requires collective effort 6 . It calls for business leaders to redesign their models, for policy makers to create enabling environments, and for consumers to support businesses that align with these principles.
The vision is clear: an economy that operates as a living system, in right relationship with nature and people, designed to be inherently regenerative and equitable. The experiments are underway, the blueprints are being drawn, and the window for action is now. The question is no longer if such a future is possible, but what role each of us will play in entrepreneuring it into reality.