Organizational Governance

Becoming Net Positive:
The Impetus for Effecting Systemic Change

Capgemini calls on forward-thinking companies to leverage advanced technologies to drive bold action to contribute more to the planet than they take.

Sponsored Content | / This article is sponsored by Capgemini | By Sol Salinas and Franco Amalfi | Published 4 days ago | About a 7 minute read

Image: DeltaWorks

Awareness of the climate crisis has increased dramatically in recent years, but the bold actions needed to protect the environment have not kept pace.

Scientists have warned for years that we must limit global temperature rise to less than 2°C to mitigate the worst consequences of anthropogenic climate change. Although sympathetic to this rallying cry, many companies balk at taking the necessary steps to rein in their greenhouse gas emissions and decrease other environmental impacts.

Business leaders face a tragedy of the commons — fearing penalties for being courageous while competitors continue to exploit shared resources without consequence. But substantive action cannot be postponed indefinitely. The issue is too critical, the required investments too substantial, and the demands for change too persistent to ignore.

So, how can corporate leaders embrace the climate challenge in a way that benefits the planet and their businesses? One compelling answer is to become net positive.

Understanding net positive

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In their book, Net Positive, former Unilever CEO Paul Polman and sustainable business expert Andrew Winston argue that companies should strive to give back more to the world than they consume. They lamented that a focus on short-term profits has distracted business from developing more holistic approaches that consider long-term impacts on the environment and society.

The idea of net positive is simple yet profound: Businesses should not only aim to neutralize their negative impacts but also actively work to improve the world — by integrating issues including pollution and inequality into the core principles and mission of a company.

Net positive therefore goes beyond net zero — which achieves balance between emissions produced and emissions removed — by creating a net benefit.

The history of net positive

Back in 2014, Capgemini collaborated with Forum for the Future, BT, Coca-Cola Enterprises, The Crown Estate, IKEA, Kingfisher and SKF on the then-largely theoretical concept of net positive. Polman adopted the idea and applied it at Unilever, where it made (and continues to make) a significant impact.

Throughout Polman’s tenure as CEO, Unilever was consistently ranked as the top company worldwide for sustainability — and that was with total shareholder return of nearly 300 percent, far higher than its rivals. The consumer packaged goods company demonstrates that net-positive principles can lead to societal benefits and long-term business value.

Polman and Winston’s 2021 book spread the concept in the business world and compelled companies to rethink their roles and responsibilities in the climate crisis.

The net-positive framework and maturity model

In collaboration with other thought leaders and sustainability experts, Capgemini launched the Net Positive Advisory Panel at Sustainable Brands 2022 in San Diego.

The group developed and operationalized the framework, which helps companies focus on becoming net positive across three areas:

Soul — the values and purpose that define the organization
Bloodstream — the systems and processes that enable the organization to function
Impact — the outcomes and legacy of the organization's actions.

It can be tailored to different organizational contexts.

We took this a step further by developing a net-positive maturity model, which assesses an organization's readiness and progress on the journey across multiple dimensions — including leadership, culture, partnerships and impact on the environment and society. It provides a structured approach to measure the current state, identify gaps and set future targets.

The Hispanic Technology Executive Council (HITEC) — a professional membership organization — was among the first to apply Capgemini’s net-positive maturity model through its Emerging Executive Program, dedicated to developing the next generation of Hispanic technology leaders. In collaboration with Capgemini and members of the advisory panel, 111 participants from 46 companies used the maturity model to analyze 11 organizations, identify areas for improvement and recommend concrete actions to improve sustainability performance.

The role of generative AI

Gen AI is an important arrow in the sustainability quiver, but it must be handled carefully.

By this point, it’s well known that Gen AI consumes significantly more energy than other technologies. On the other hand, Gen AI-powered tools can help businesses and governments identify patterns in big data that inform more sustainable decisions: optimizing energy use, reducing waste, designing climate-resilient cities, etc.

For example, the HITEC program would not have been able to dissect the large datasets of each company if it didn’t have access to advanced technology. Members could understand the intricacies of the companies with relative ease, thanks to Taza — a remarkable, AI-powered sustainable-intelligence platform.

Taza develops an echo report for each company, summarizing vast amounts of publicly available information to provide key insights for decision-making. To put it simply, the platform handles the tedious and burdensome work of sifting through reams of facts and figures, so the business leaders can focus on what’s most important: developing a strategy for moving beyond net zero to become regenerative and net positive.

Building a culture of regenerative practices

Achieving net positivity will require more than just frameworks and advanced technologies. It needs a widespread cultural shift toward regenerative principles. Anyone trusted with driving organizational change knows that transforming technology is easy compared to changing sometimes long-held beliefs and routine behaviors.

The C-suite will need to think beyond shareholder capitalism, popularized by the view that corporations were only responsible for increasing shareholder value. Lately, a growing chorus has advocated returning to what had previously been the norm in the US: stakeholder capitalism, which considers the interests of everyone involved — including employees, customers, suppliers, communities and the environment — and promotes long-term thinking and more sustainable practices.

Furthermore, it’s important for leadership to foster a culture of regenerative practices in which all employees understand the organization's net-positive ambitions and feel empowered to be part of that journey.

In recent years, more workplaces encouraged employees to participate in optional, evidence-based mindfulness programs to improve mental health, reduce stress and enhance concentration.Research indicates that practicing mindfulness can foster a deeper connection between people and with nature itself. In a report on the role of mindfulness in confronting climate change, UK-based policy institute The Mindfulness Initiative and the Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies write: “Most large-scale climate action to date has focused upon technical solutions to physical problems. Increasingly however, voices in the sustainability field warn that neglect of human inner factors driving the climate crisis leaves theories of change wanting; in part explaining the failure of current policies to deliver adequate response.”

Course-correcting business

No major organization has achieved the lofty goal of becoming net positive, but several have made large strides: Microsoft has committed to becoming carbon negative by 2030, IKEA pledged to halve emissions by 2030, and Patagonia promised to be carbon neutral by 2025.

Capgemini has similar ambitions. We aim to be carbon neutral in our operations no later than 2025, carbon neutral across our supply chain by 2030, and net zero by 2040. The concept of net positive inspires us on this journey.

We will continue to iterate upon the net-positive framework and maturity model, help our clients deploy sustainable solutions, and partner with all sorts of stakeholders to build a greener future for everybody.

It's time for bold, decisive action. We cannot afford to neglect our collective duty. Set your course towards a net positive future, starting now.

Let’s steer the future in the right direction.