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John Elkington

John Elkington

Founding Partner and Executive Chairman
Volans Ventures

John Elkington is a world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development. In 1987, he co-founded SustainAbility; in 1994, he coined the phrase, "the triple bottom line"; and in 2008, he co-founded Volans — a future-focused business working at the intersection of the sustainability, entrepreneurship and innovation movements — where he is Executive Chairman and "Chief Pollinator."

His latest book is Green Swans: The Coming Boom in Regenerative Capitalism, published by Fast Company Press.

John Elkington is tagged in 8 assets.
Article
Organizational GovernanceCircular Economy
Are We Capable of Enacting Lasting, Positive Change After Disruption and Crisis?
Are We Capable of Enacting Lasting, Positive Change After Disruption and Crisis?
Published on May 20, 2020
About a 9 minute read

The shadow of the unknown due to COVID could derail progress we’ve made toward a more sustainable future or it can motivate us to do better, faster. Now is the time for stakeholders throughout every organization to dig deep and figure out what they... View More

Article
Circular Economy
‘Green Swans’ Will Kill Some Brands, Boost Others
‘Green Swans’ Will Kill Some Brands, Boost Others
Published on April 14, 2020
About a 6 minute read

Green Swans also take the world by surprise — because of their exponential character, and because they produce outcomes previously considered to be not just improbable but impossible. But rather than driving degeneration like their Grey and Black c... View More

Article
Innovation & Technology
SDGs Key to the Sustainable Development of Your Business, Not Just the World
SDGs Key to the Sustainable Development of Your Business, Not Just the World
Published on September 29, 2016
About a 2 minute read

"What's your favorite sustainable development goal?" joked John Elkington, the writer, thinker and serial entrepreneur who coined the triple bottom line concept in 1997, who moderated a Tuesday panel on aligning the UN Sustainable Developme... View More

Article
Marketing & Communications
How to Prove Skeptical Stakeholders Wrong on the Road to Fulfilling Your Brand Purpose
How to Prove Skeptical Stakeholders Wrong on the Road to Fulfilling Your Brand Purpose
Published on September 29, 2016
About a 7 minute read

“Purpose is like Pokémon - everybody is chasing it and nobody knows why,” “Mr. Goodvertising,” Thomas Kolster, mused at the start of the Tuesday morning plenary session at SB’16 Copenhagen. Articulating purpose is central to modern brandin... View More

Article
Innovation & TechnologyInnovation & Technology
Project Breakthrough: Can Your Brand Deliver Exponential Solutions to the SDGs?
Project Breakthrough: Can Your Brand Deliver Exponential Solutions to the SDGs?
Published on September 12, 2016
About a 5 minute read

Declaring intent is oh-so-easy. CEOs and other business leaders do it all the time. But delivering against declared pledges can be a very different matter. In recent years, for example, thousands of companies have signed up to various international c... View More

Article
Organizational Governance
The Personal Triple Bottom Line: Insight, Impact, Income
The Personal Triple Bottom Line: Insight, Impact, Income
Published on April 16, 2016
About a 6 minute read

Two decades ago, John Elkington introduced the Triple Bottom Line (TBL), a disruptive corporate tool to measure a company’s success based on three Ps: People, Planet and Profit. TBL and its derivatives are widely used by companies around the world.... View More

Article
Organizational Governance
Elkington’s Dramatization of ‘The Stretch Agenda’ Aims to Help Execs Move Beyond ‘Change-as-Usual’
Elkington’s Dramatization of ‘The Stretch Agenda’ Aims to Help Execs Move Beyond ‘Change-as-Usual’
Published on May 22, 2015
About a 4 minute read

“We pan in to a generously proportioned boardroom on the 33rd floor of an iconic skyscraper, soaring above London and the River Thames. … This is an Extraordinary Board Meeting.”So begins the opening scene in The Stretch Agenda, a ‘playper’... View More

Article
Marketing & CommunicationsMarketing & Communications
The Breakthrough Challenge: Arguments for Branding (and Rebranding) Sustainability
The Breakthrough Challenge: Arguments for Branding (and Rebranding) Sustainability
Published on September 17, 2014
About a 6 minute read

Really, what is a sustainable brand?Having visited port wine cellars in Portugal, I know the history and value of branding — symbols literally burned into casks as a guarantee of provenance and quality. And when I think of the brands I have bought ... View More

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