Thrive Rather than Grow
A strategy for sustainable management
Whether you take the calculations of the annual so-called Earth Overshoot Day or extinction of species as a basis, one thing is clear and that is that the principle “higher, faster, further” is no longer viable. We believe that “Thrive rather than grow” is a better way of moving forward and we have already set a few wheels in motion. For this reason, we are developing our own sustainable products, scrutinizing our use of resources and and advising our clients according to the principle of Shared Value. And the best thing about it is that working with this approach is great fun.
There’s Meaning in the Making
Making things ourselves – Manfred and Tom developing a prototype for an open source particle counter.
Start with Yourself
The principle of the four levels of action
Changing your own behaviour is a difficult undertaking. Before we expect it of others, we need to start with ourselves.
The first level of action involves changing the processes within the agency. A good example of this is writing our own environmental report, and turning the company carbon neutral. Since 2011 this has been obligatory.
The second level is about trying to activate our own employees on the subject of sustainability. In order to achieve this, the agency offers real incentives such as giving employees who cycle to work for more than 80 days a year an extra day’s holiday at the end of that year.
The third level follows the principle of “Think Global, Act Local”. This is about the need for people to become engaged socio-politically and thereby take responsibility as citizens within their own regions.
It is not until we reach the fourth level of action that the clients of Scholz & Volkmer come into the equation. The thinking behind this is that only by concentrating on its own internal processes and regional projects can the agency gather enough experience in order to be in a position to effectively advise others about sustainability.
Encouraging Social Commitment
Scholz & Volkmer’s objective is to use creativity and innovation so that their clients’ economic goals can be reconciled with the challenges faced by today’s society. This means Creating Shared Value - through projects which yield returns for brands, help people, and make the world a little better too. The solution to challenges in society does not mean that businesses have to sacrifice their success; on the contrary, their success is its basis. It allows brands to penetrate through the media and to become relevant.
“Companies could unleash a wave of innovation and growth if they re-defined their purpose as creating ‘shared value’ – generating economic value in a way that also produces value for society by addressing its challenges.”
Michael Porter, Harvard Professor
Shared Value transforms marketing into a service for people and society. It supports social innovation rather than attractively packaging a lack of innovation. It logically follows on from CSR, thus turning starry-eyed idealism into economically viable sustainability.
With products such as the Kiezkaufhaus (online shopping at local retailers - sustainable alternative to Amazon) Scholz & Volkmer frequently put their own Shared Value initiatives into practice independently of client orders.
With products such as the Kiezkaufhaus (online shopping at local retailers - sustainable alternative to Amazon) Scholz & Volkmer frequently put their own Shared Value initiatives into practice independently of client orders.
Carbon Neutral Agency
We were the first German digital agency to go carbon neutral in 2010 and every year we publish our own environmental report. This helps us become more aware of what we use and we can then take specific measures to reduce our footprint. The report looks at every light bulb, every energy metre reading and every sheet of paper. The CO2 emissions measured form the basis for the offset that has to be made.