Ihe crises follow one another and drag our societies into the spiral of violence, in France and internationally. We, leaders, see every day with our teams that these fractures undermine our economy and, even more fundamentally, weaken our democracy and our social contract. And everything indicates that these tensions will grow as inequalities deepen and resources become scarce.
In this context, should companies be content to wait and adapt to this new situation, or can they actively contribute to rebuilding peace?
To date, the observation is clear: the contemporary economy does not effectively fulfill its role of development, inclusion and sharing of resources. It fails to provide dignified jobs to the greatest number, to give full consideration to diversity, to commit to sobriety, when it does not directly contribute to exacerbating tensions through its management of human beings and nature. The permanent incentive to overconsumption is also a source of strong frustration and tension, exacerbated in times of inflation, while fueling an unbridled withdrawal of resources, without being synonymous with shared wealth or collective prosperity.
Like the “yellow vests” movement, Covid-19, the war in Ukraine or the recent revolts in France, the successive crises we are experiencing and their consequences constantly remind us of the importance of protection and the integration of the most vulnerable. Conditions sine qua non of the efficient and desirable functioning of the economy for our society.
A new approach to work
These crises are also part of the context of ecological transition that we must accelerate and whose consequences are numerous for social cohesion. Faced with these challenges, we must propose a desirable economic horizon for all, engage in a new paradigm where social tensions and the degradation of natural capital are no longer secondary subjects to be “derisked” for our companies, but a priority and the essential component of their business models.
Thus, today, we are more convinced than ever, the action of companies is fundamentally political. We all have a duty to act on our scale. For this, we claim four key principles of action, which must guide the development of our companies: cooperation in the face of hypercompetition; equitable sharing of value but also of power and resources; the regeneration of living things, by putting the search for positive impact at the heart of concerns; and a new approach to work, inclusive and adapted to the different stages of life.
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