Respect for Nature: The Need for Innovative Business Patterns

With regard to the current environmental crisis, in our contribution we aim at pointing out the deficiencies at the macro level and the major limits of the “greening-business” approach. In more detail, the challenge of sustainable development calls for questioning the roots of the “mainstream” practices and developing a real and authentic respect for nature in business behaviour. Accordingly, there is a strong need for: • a clear recognition of the limits of the planet carrying capacity; • the acknowledgement of the human dependence on critical natural capital and ecosystem services; • a structural shift to eco-effectiveness and collaborative-systemic strategies. This innovative perspective could help redefine the role of organizations (and, in particular, of businesses) in the natural environment according to more equitable, sustainable, and respectful patterns.