A genuine value proposition for nature is to reduce pollution, overconsumption, and manipulation.

The natural environment

The natural environment is the largest and the ultimate recipient of all values being circulated in the ecosystem. It is the most tolerant, the most absorbent, and the largest victim due to malpractices in the business field. Although the natural environment is slow to react, when its time is due, the reaction can be tremendously destructive. It has never been so urgent for us to stop doing harm but good to the environment before the destruction escalates to the next level. 

Three types of harm to nature

There are basically three types of harm we are doing to the environment: pollution, overconsumption, and manipulation. 

• Pollution is to dispose of too much waste to the environment. 
• Overconsumption is to exhaust natural resources without replenishing them. 
• Manipulation is to work around or against nature instead of working with it. 

Among the three, pollution is the most conspicuous. It is omnipresent, on land and in ocean. 

As concerning as it is though, pollution is only the tip of the iceberg.

Immediately underneath is overconsumption. Overconsumption of natural resources is less visible for sure, but it can be more consequential. 

When we make a mass, we can still clean it up to the best we can. But when we use up what we have, what else can we reclaim? 

But that’s not the worst part if we could delve into the base layer – manipulation.

Manipulation has something to do with our negligence and arrogance over the order in nature. 

Nature is a system out there that is sovereign, comprehensive, and harmonious way beyond all human knowledge and understanding combined. Nature is independent of our existence. It is bigger than us, it comes before us, and it outlasts us. 

It brings all things together in a coherent, seamless, and harmonious order.

When we manipulate, however, we break the order – we change the nature of entities and the dynamics among them.

For some manipulations, the damages can be transitory. For many others, however, the damages become irreversible. If the damages stay where they are, that might still be fine for the moment. But bear in mind that all entities in an ecosystem are interconnected. When irreversible damage occurs, the interconnectedness may perpetuate and spread the damage regardless of how minor the damage may appear to be.

Ever wondered how does the Butterfly Effect occur? Things may start as innocent as the flapping of a butterfly’s wings, the consequences however can be far-reaching.

And that makes manipulations the most profound and deep-seated harm we are doing to nature. 

So what do all these have to do with value propositions? 

Well, to some extent, value propositions may hold the key to restoring the order in nature. 

The challenge, and also the opportunity, for all businesses involved, is to develop the kind of value propositions that can reduce or absorb the pollution, replenish instead of exhaust the natural resources, and restore rather than engineer the order in nature. 

Of course, this is not a once-for-all fix, but a work in progress.

And that takes more than one business to move the needle.

But the reward? An opportunity to truly stand out with refreshingly sustainable solutions.