Richard Branson: A Corporate Clown for Sustainability

I say that as a compliment given I am one and he is into fun. I think that has always been the cornerstone of his work, he made it fun. Something many people haven’t considered given the focus on working hard to get ahead, who says that has to happen. Anyway, Richard Branson inspires me and millions around the world with his cheeky smile and boyish looks. He is a person who just was able to create as he wished. We can create the change in the world, we have to choose it.

I have posted from his website his vision. I really love that he has added Wellbeing, Happiness and Sustainability to his brand cube. These are the key issues of our time, without this focus, our ship will sink. So for those CEO’s out there or aspiring employees, create the change you wish to see – now is the time to make a difference, we need your action not words. Making money is a tool to living a harmonious and happy life, it was never meant to be about greed. The Economists got it wrong there. I know, I was trained as one. They felt you needed to put profit there for people to feel the incentive to work, actually people need to feel they can make a difference, that is what motivates them. We are all here for a purpose – what is yours? When you have a passion (like me) you will do it for free. So act before you think and get on with creating this wonderful world of your dreams. Which will indeed be better and more enlightened than today.

So here is a rundown of Richard’s vision, a true visionary and an example of real corporate stewardship. We can indeed unite the world.

http://www.virgin.com/people-and-planet

People & Planet
Our vision

SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLES

“I believe that in the future we will be able to enjoy healthy and fulfilling lifestyles, whilst minimising the negative impact we have on the world. What seems impossible today could be possible tomorrow.” Richard Branson

We have always succeeded in business by offering consumers another way, a better way and being willing to fight their corner. The world has changed a great deal in the 40 years that Virgin has been in business but we have moved with the times and we have always listened to what people want.

One thing has remained true; our belief in the power of entrepreneurship and innovation to help us rise to the new challenges that we all face.

Our lifestyle is the way that we choose to live our lives – the things we buy, the things we believe – it is who we are. As global citizens we want to provide people with products and services that will help them to embrace a more sustainable lifestyle. Our lifestyle not only impacts others but also the planet. Living a more ‘sustainable lifestyle’ is about making more responsible choices (Is this my lowest carbon option? Will this be fair to people? Am I using the planet’s resources responsibly?). So far, a sustainable lifestyle has been associated with sacrifice or compromise, giving up the choice and freedom we currently enjoy. Virgin’s vision is the opposite of this. We believe that living sustainably doesn’t have to mean cutting back or frugality, and responsibility shouldn’t be dull or difficult.

Our vision is to contribute to creating happy and fulfilling lives which are also sustainable – surely a vision worth aspiring to? With businesses spanning many sectors and touching many aspects of our customers’ lifestyles we feel that Virgin is in a perfect position to contribute to this vision. After all, the Virgin brand has always been about having fun in a unique Virgin way.

We believe that we have a part to play in making this a reality and so our vision for sustainability within the Virgin Group is: “to make a credible contribution towards sustainable lifestyles whilst meeting or exceeding the expectations of our staff, customers and other stakeholders”.

The Virgin brand values have remained unchanged for 40 years. They aren’t just an image but a reflection of our very essence and the way we do business. Virgin has always stood for value for money, quality, innovation, fun and a sense of competitive challenge. But now our brand values have gone three dimensional; we no longer have a list of brand values but a brand cube to which we have added the Wellbeing & Happiness of People and Sustainability of the Planet. In these pages we describe that fundamental evolution of our brand and what we at Virgin stand for.

The following pages represent a summary and overview of the challenges and our view. A deeper level of content can be found in our report.

Our sustainable lifestyle manifesto

We want our Virgin companies to provide responsibly produced, sustainable, low carbon services and products that are desirable, easy to use and good value above all else so that our customers can enjoy their lifestyles safe in the knowledge that Virgin is acting responsibly on their behalf. We’ve set out our manifesto of how we plan to make this happen:

Get low carbon: Strive to emit minimal carbon and other greenhouse gases.

1 planet not 2: Learn to use the planet’s finite resources responsibly.

We are all equal: Work towards poverty alleviation and the fair treatment of all individuals.

Wellness: Offer products and services that enhance emotional and physical wellbeing.

Inspire the change: Show that change isn’t dull or involving sacrifice – think of what we gain not what we give up. We have to create desire.

Have a voice: We can’t solve everything but we can use our voice for good, by contributing to the debate and helping to take things forward.

In everything we do we are using this manifesto to help ensure that in the future our customers can continue to enjoy their lifestyles; to travel, to communicate and to relax, safe in the knowledge that Virgin is acting responsibly on their behalf.

Our challenges

We also face not inconsiderable challenges to contributing to sustainable lifestyles.

Although Virgin is big, we can achieve relatively little in the grand scheme of things just by reducing our own impacts, so we have a role to play in encouraging and educating those that we work with. In some sectors we might have a small market share and influence. In those markets we focus on having a big voice and driving the market forward on issues of sustainability, such as Virgin Atlantic within aviation.

Some companies have relatively small environmental footprints but have more significant social impacts that need to be addressed. For example, Virgin Games’ responsibility is helping to prevent gambling addiction.

Virgin Unite

We’ve also established a non-profit foundation, Virgin Unite, that works with our businesses, Richard and global partners to drive change and to encourage entreprenerial approaches to some of the touch challenges the world is facing today.