Net Positive

How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More than They Take

By: Paul Polman, Andrew Winston

Narrated by: Tom Parks, Paul Polman, Andrew Winston

Runaway climate change and gross inequality are ravaging the world. Who can help lead us to a better future? Business.

These and other massive challenges threaten our very existence on the planet. Yet division and discord risk undermining our response, just when we need to come together.

At this critical time in history, the imperative to reimagine our economies and companies could not be more urgent. Fortunately, many in the business community are helping to solve our most profound challenges, deploying long-term, purpose-led business models that put people and planet first. The key question has flipped from "Why would you do sustainability?" to "Why wouldn't you?"

In this paradigm-shifting book, former Unilever CEO Paul Polman and sustainable business guru Andrew Winston provide a model to help leaders build companies that contribute more to the world than they use or take - that is, net positive companies.

Net Positive outlines the principles and practices for surviving and thriving based on the experience of one world-leading company, Unilever, and other groundbreaking global organizations. This essential book is for leaders, executives, managers, and professionals who want to succeed, but know that winning requires caring deeply about serving the world.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Paul Polman and Andrew S. Winston (P)2021 Ascent Audio

Life changing I sights and action programs

Bold and thoughtful insights grounded in actual experience to deal with existential issues facing humanity.

Net Regenerative

Net Positive is an important read that disturbs with respect to its clear stand that our current capitalist system is unsustainable and leading us rapidly into self-destruction. Thankfully, the book mostly encourages with respect to the vital disruption net-positive business can make. Seems clear to me that net positive is a critical shift needed now, as we move rapidly into genuine nature-based regenerative systems that will not simply slow our demise, but that will heal our world and nurture all life.

inspired content

love the content, struggled with the narration. important message and research to inspire action.

One book to gain them all...

Net Positive is likely the most important book you can read for the new economy.

Sharing the stories and reasons behind the building of one the most admired corporation in the world the authors demonstrate again and again that making the right choice for the planet and the company's future is both never easy, but ultimately the only way forward.

Being "less bad" is not an option.

Inspiring, approach building, direct and encouraging the book in my view is the single best business book I have read to date.

If you are helping to change the world you will likely gain as much as I have I feel...

Enjoy.

Sharing the journey

The challenging scene towards net zero is clearer through the lenses of Unilever’s path. Inspiring stories within opens the will to act and the possibilities if the aim is high.
An essential book for boardroom members, CEOs and leaders.

Great story, sometimes skow

Got a little slow in the middle but otherwise a great book with an important message

Good read but superficial in its treatment of the topic

I have read many sustainable business books and teach this topic and work with companies. I went back-and-forth between finding the book helpful with its examples and reference of certain groups and resources I was not aware of. But it also reads as a public service announcement for Unilever, a deserving company but this removed from the book in my view.

A must listen for today’s business leader

Great perspective and practical advice for “shifting into next gear” using the impact and positive power of our businesses for long overdue change to the better.

Inspiring

It’s probably naive to assume every company would consider the externalities associated with their work in the way Unilever has, but this is an inspiring roadmap to how they might better themselves if they decided to. If all businesses considered themselves to have important roles to play in the world economy to the same degree that the authors of this book do, capitalism may well save us from ourselves as so many of its proponents hope it might.