Learn how pioneering business leaders are resetting their companies' relationship to nature, society, and our common future
In The New Nature of The Path to Prosperity and Sustainability, businessman Andre Hoffmann and journalist Peter Vanham describe how companies should change their ways to have continued success, and why the current modus operandi is not working. They present a template for creating “sustainable prosperity”, and case-studies of companies that survived and thrived by opting for change. In doing so, they provide a way out of long-standing dilemmas, such as how to balance business needs with impact on nature, shareholders with stakeholders, and short-term vs. long-term profits.
You'll
A first-hand account of global healthcare company Roche's sustainability practice, as told by André (Roche's vice-chairman), chairman Severin Schwan, and several other senior management members Case-studies and lessons of organizations with visionary leaders, such as INSEAD, IKEA, Harley Davidson, and Holcim, all of whom have taken a holistic view of their role in the world, and succeeded in doing well while doing good Strategies for addressing the negative externalities and trade-offs that arise from doing business; identifying the right metrics and targets to deliver on your purpose; and accounting for human, social, and natural capital, alongside financial capital A must-read book for business leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers at companies around the world, The New Nature of Business, is also insightful and timely for those who advise or oversee companies and their leadership teams.
Worth reading for an authentic and innovative position the authors have developed while analysing the crises we as a species face. I’m reasonably familiar with some of the content prior to reading, but still think not enough people are talking about these ideas, hence the necessity of this book.
Could have used a tiny bit more “theory” background to some of the thinking and collaboration that happened throughout, but it’s amply inspiring enough to see examples of this in the case studio portion of the book, of which I have to admit the INSEAD story resonated the most with me!
inspirational and tangible, must read for current and aspiring professionals & business leaders!
Why It’s a Must-Read for Business Leaders
This book is essential reading for business professionals and leaders who are serious about building a future-proof, sustainable enterprise. It offers a clear, actionable framework that moves beyond theory into practice, making it both inspirational and pragmatic. The focus on **regenerative business models**, **circular economies**, and **social equity** provides a comprehensive roadmap for leaders looking to build resilience and adaptability in the face of global challenges like climate change, resource scarcity, and social inequality.
As sustainability moves from being a niche concern to a business imperative, *The New Nature of Business* arms professionals with the insights and strategies needed to navigate this shift. The lessons here are not just for sustainability officers or environmental advocates but for CEOs, investors, and leaders across all sectors. The future of business depends on integrating the principles of this book into core strategies, and those who fail to do so risk being left behind.
*The New Nature of Business* is filled with inspiring real-world examples from companies that have embedded sustainability into their core missions. From multinational corporations to startups, these stories demonstrate how investing in nature and adopting equitable practices can drive innovation, reduce risks, and create long-term value.
In The New Nature of Business, the author delivers a transformative guide for current and future business leaders who are ready to step up and align their business strategies with the principles of sustainability. Rooted in the idea that nature’s systems should guide economic development, this book presents a holistic vision for businesses to thrive while safeguarding planetary boundaries, contributing to social equity, and embracing circular models that give back to the Earth.
Redefining Business in the Age of Planetary Boundaries
At its core, The New Nature of Business urges companies to rethink traditional economic models that prioritize short-term gains over long-term sustainability. The author highlights the concept of **planetary boundaries**—the environmental limits we must respect to maintain the Earth's systems—and makes a compelling case that businesses must operate within these constraints.
The book doesn’t just point out the dangers of breaching these boundaries; it showcases how aligning with them can spur innovation, resilience, and growth. The focus on planetary boundaries ties into a growing realization across industries that businesses can no longer succeed if they ignore the ecological and social systems they depend on.
Generating Wealth While Giving Back to Nature
A standout feature of *The New Nature of Business* is its exploration of how companies can adopt **circular economy** models to drive both profitability and environmental stewardship. The book emphasizes that businesses can no longer operate in a linear "take, make, waste" model. Instead, it proposes that wealth creation should come from regenerative practices—processes that recycle resources, reduce waste, and restore natural systems.
In this circular framework, giving back to nature becomes a core part of business strategy, not just a corporate responsibility initiative. The author’s examples of companies successfully adopting circular practices—turning waste into a resource, minimizing carbon footprints, and restoring ecosystems—offer clear evidence that profitability and sustainability can go hand in hand.
The New Leadership Mindset: Equity, Innovation, and Sustainability
The book also tackles the growing importance of **social equity** in the business landscape. It advocates for a model in which businesses not only generate wealth for shareholders but also ensure that their operations lift up the communities they touch. It presents a vision of wealth creation that benefits all stakeholders—employees, customers, local communities, and the environment. By linking environmental sustainability with social responsibility, the book challenges leaders to see success as a balance of financial, ecological, and social outcomes.
A passionate book well captured by its title (“The new nature of business”); the sentence that stuck with me is “it doesn’t matter how you spend your money but it matters how you earn your money”.
It’s a highly personal account by André Hoffmann the heir of the Hoffmann-La Roche family (co written by the Belgian journalist Petervanham) partially about the origins of the pharmaceutical giant Roche but mainly about his own journey trying to combine a capitalist business mindset with purpose; focused on sustainability in the widest sense of the word.
What I liked is that the story is one where André feels a sense of responsibility passed on to him by his family and his genuine attempts to put his convictions into action. This by influencing “his” company (he is vice chairman of the board of Roche), CEO’s of other companies and other important actors and stakeholders. His actions are real and tangible but the book is not one of these 600 page business books that sell you a magical solution to whatever problem is in fashion. The result is that it triggers your thinking and hopefully it will go on to inspire business leaders for years to come.
“The story of how Hoffmann redirected his wealth and privilege powers the book’s message about the potential of business, properly stewarded and conducted, to create lasting change.”
To have an impact "it is not how you spend money, but how you make it" André writes. If you stop and think about that sentence for a second it sums up how businesses can and should be done. Economic growth should be regenerative - adding more to society and the planet than it takes from it. Business as a force for good.
Currently, our business models have as a result that they destroy more than they create. We must break this pattern. We, as a species, have diverted from our primal mindset of living in harmony with nature to a mindless mindset of constantly taking way more than we are given. Or, as André puts it: "we are sleepwalking toward more disasters in the future". Time is running out. Our natural resources on which we depend are not infinite. Biodiversity loss has never been in steeper decline.
André and Peter shed a fresh light on how business can and should be done, if we were to live in harmony with nature and to create sustainable and inclusive prosperity. This book has inspired me, and it has given me clarity on the four capitals: financial, social, natural, human. Even the most hypnotized sleepwalker can use this framework to open their mind and see that there is more than just financial capital that makes a business. A job is not just a salary.
André's story has given me back that fire I first felt when I met him - his family, his team - in Davos in January of 2023 as InTent for Change organized the SDG Tent during the World Economic Forum. Only this time around, today, by being able to put his support into the wider perspective of his family's past narrative I feel ever more inspired, courageous, purposeful, grateful, renewed, energized and - most of all - dutiful.
This book has made me excited about my next stage in life. Thank you to you and your family André. My family and all future generations will forever be grateful.
- David Even Founder of Primal Soles Backed by InTent for Change
What are purpose, values and operating principle of Roche? - Page 20: The purpose of Roche is to do now what patients need next. - Page 127: The 3 fundamental values of Roche are integrity, courage and passion. - Page 128: Roche has 8 operating principles: 1. Put patients first. "I always act as if patients I know are in the room and do what is best for them." 2. Follow the science. "I seek answers through experiments, data and debate, and act on facts." 3. Act as one team. "I care, collaborate and commit without boundaries, and trust others to do their part." 4. Embrace differences. "I seek diverse perspectives, invite opposing views, and challenge myself and others." 5. Accelerate learning. "I push to learn new things even if difficult, and openly share my successes and failures." 6. Simplify radically. "I eliminate complexity, reuse with pride, and accomplish more with less." 7. Make impact now. "I take accountability to do what is right, deliver value fast, and do not wait for certainty." 8. Think long term. "I choose actions today that benefit future generations."
What are other characteristics of Roche? - Page x: Roche leaders want Roche to stay independent. Bread is better in a town with two bakers. - Page xii: André Hoffmann believes that businesses need to be regenerative. They need to add more to the planet than they take from it - from a natural resource, financial, human and societal perspective. - Page 7: Centuries ago, people moved to Basel because they were attracted by the religious liberty of the place, and because of the city's relative autonomy of lords and bishops. - Pages 11 and 12: As people learned to master the Rhine, the river became the vein through which European economic life flowed. The Rhine allowed for easy import of export of products. - Page 12: As early as the Renaissance in the 15th and 16th centuries, people came to Basel because of the city's welcoming climate for freethinkers. - Page 18: Founder of Roche, Fritz Hoffmann, appreciated diversity. Early on, people from different countries and with different faiths started working for Roche. - Page 20: In Basel, more than 14,000 people of more than 100 nationalities work for Roche. - Page 31: André Hoffmann's father studied botany and zoology at the University of Basel. As a PhD student, he studied birds. In 1947, he settled in the Southern part of France at Camargue, home to many of Europe's most exotic bird species. - Pages 37 and 41: In a sustainable form of capitalism, the polluter pays. Roche wants to lead by example. - Page 50: At Roche, one perspective never changed: What is good for the company is good for the family - not the other way around. - Page 62: To attract talented people and have them bring their best selves to work, Roche believes that it comes down to two crucial levers: 1. Having the right leaders. 2. Empowering people to live the company's values. - Page 67: At Roche, leaders of subsidiaries lead independently to a high degree. - Page 67: At Genentech, patients are regularly invited to contribute to meetings. - Page 77: The new Roche buildings in Basel are energy independent and near zero in terms of carbon emissions. Much of the heating and cooling of the new buildings is done with the help of groundwater. The buildings include a large underground parking for bicycles. Carpets in the buildings are made of recycled fishing nets. Much of the material used to build buildings, which were previously on the site, was recycled and used to build the new buildings. As concrete is among the most important sources of CO2 emissions, this is an environmental success. - Page 102: In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Roche used plant extracts as the basis of its first medicines.
What are other business examples shared in the book? - Page 10: During the time that the founders of Microsoft, Paul Allen and Bill Gates, were at high school, Paul Gilbert, a university student at the University of Washington, helped them get access to the university's sigma mainframe computer, which was more powerful than the one at the highschool which Allen and Gates attended. Paul Allen explained that "if not for all the time we spent on University of Washington computers, you could argue that Microsoft might not have happened." - Page 13: Nvidia could not make what it sells without silica, glass, aluminium, and copper. - Page 27: Funding for nature is near an all-time high. - Page 101: Singapore planted trees and plants everywhere in the city, including in the streets and on rooftops. - Page 185: RetourMatras based in the Netherlands has the capacity to recycle all 1.5 million mattresses that are disposed in the country every year.
What are examples of opinions of the authors shared in the book: - Page 198: Our social structure is pyramidal. Some people own too much, and to them, change is not welcome. - Page 200: We all need a descent and just income. We need to have a roof over our head, be able to feed ourselves well, and have sufficient means to look after our health, well-being and education. We also need savings for a rainy day or an emergency. - Page 200: As long as we do not provide a clear answer to how much is enough, inequalities will worsen. - Page 201: Nobody should be forced to behave in a way that does not align with their beliefs. Doing something you do not believe in is a sure recipe for unwell-being.
Other research from the book: - Page 27: There is more destruction of natural capital than ever before in human history. - Page 34: More species are disappearing every year. - Page 41: The better approach is for business to focus on finding nature based solutions which enable nature to regenerate itself. - Page 99: Trees are one of the best and most durable ways to capture carbon.
A book that swings between the two co-authors' perspectives.
The first few chapters focus on Roche, the Hoffmanns' family business, and a brief history of the company, its relationship to Basel, and turning points in the company with respect to family ownership. It is an interesting read for anyone interested in pharma/ family business, and makes a strong case for keeping a large company privately owned and controlled by a family — as compared to other private owners like PE Funds who will always seek an exit — especially when you're pushing for an agenda that you really believe in, like sustainability.
The next few chapters introduce some basic frameworks like the four types of capital (social, financial, natural and human) and growing the tree. This is where the voice flips from Hoffmann to Vanham, and the book takes on a more case study approach where it covers different institutions which decided to do their business differently: Holcim (cement), Schneider Electric, Ikea, Harley-Davison, INSEAD etc., and how it has been rewarding for them. It also sheds some insights into the workings of the B Team and the Conference of Parties and how CEOs get together to commit to sustainability goals together.
Personally I found that the writing and the structure could be tighter (some chapters are read in Hoffmann's own voice, others refer to Hoffmann as a third person without sign-posting), and it's part memoir, part business-school academic textbook/ case study, but this is a solid first attempt at getting out an important message to the world.
I have respect for Andre Hoffmann and his actions. Some of the stories are just not as impactful as he makes them appear. The sustainability accounting is for most companies just an exercise they have to do. And we see now a trend that Politics is reversing this legislation. I want to believe we are on the right track as discribed.