Gunter Pauli - The Blue Economy 3.0: The Marriage of Science, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Creates a New Business Model That Transforms Society

THE
BLUE
ECONOMY
3.0

THE MARRIAGE
OF SCIENCE,
INNOVATION AND
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
CREATES A NEW
BUSINESS MODEL
THAT TRANSFORMS
SOCIETY

GUNTER PAULI

Copyright 2017 by Gunter Pauli.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017913883

ISBN: Hardcover 978-1-5245-2107-3

Softcover 978-1-5245-2106-6

eBook 978-1-5245-2105-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted
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Rev. date: 09/07/2017

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Contents

This is the 10 th English edition, and I suppose this will be the last one for a while to come. Ever since The Blue Economy was presented to the Club of Rome as a report in 2009, the book has generated debate. The nearly one thousand presentations and dialogues, interviews and head-on exchanges taught me a lot. While the goal of the book is nothing less than inspiring people to join me and together change the world by using what we have, generating value and responding to peoples needs it is all much easier said than done.

The fortunate reality is that more projects have been undertaken than I had ever imagined possible. The unfortunate reality is that the job generation is far less than I had expected. We barely got over the three million mark, whereas I had imagined reaching the 100 million target. This has motivated me to work on two levels: Firstly, although I am convinced that the message is clear, it is obviously not clear enough yet! Secondly, while I think it is obvious that we should translate idea to action, many people stop to admire the idea but fall short when it comes to going over to action.

That is why this, The Blue Economy 3.0, has been written: firstly to try to communicate better and in more concrete terms what it entails, and then to demonstrate that many scholars and scientists, who are part of our Zero Emissions network (ZERI) and the Blue Economy entrepreneurs, have moved from idea to initiative and from incipient project to investments at scale. I hope that this ultimate version of the book (which is more than 50% different from the first one, and 30% different from the 2.0 version) especially with its strong and totally new opening chapter and the inclusion of Ethics, offers the reader more ideas, more food for thought and more inspiration.

This book, in its various stages of metamorphosis, forms only one part of our complete and wide-ranging communication strategy. We have taken a clear step in an exciting new direction: exposing our children to the wisdom and wide reach of a Blue Economy and inspiring them to become part of this worldwide movement towards sustainability and an economy of abundance. Making use of the wonderful technology at out fingertips I, as a father of six, want to contribute by way of an ancient and powerful teaching tool: that of fables.

For this reason this book ends with a list of more than 100 fables, written to present the latest information and transform the sciences, the emotions, the ethics, and the values and virtues taught, into action. In this way we would like to inspire the next generation. Many adults have read previous editions of The Blue Economy and while their responses were enthusiastic, many have fall back into their old routines, with explanations for this ranging from it is too difficult to impossible and even that it is pure fantasy.

Yet it can be done. The Blue Economy has already taken fantasy to reality with one million tonnes of stone paper already in production; biochemicals being produced from thistles substituting glyphosate; the speed of the internet improving by a factor of 100 over the best connectivity available today by using light; and more than 5,000 coffee-to-mushroom units operational.

Children have a great advantage: they do not distinguish between fantasy and reality. For them everything is a reality; and if you can dream it, you can do it! This is the reason that this edition, The Blue Economy 3.0, is not only an update but also a link to the next generation. You can help make and strengthen the connection by connecting to

Whereas the book has been published in over 40 languages and has found a place in over a million homes, thanks to the support and cooperation of publishers from all around the world (excluding the USA), it is as yet only the Chinese Government that has brought the fables into every classroom in their country and are strongly promoting the study and the application of the principles of a sustainable economy. For us, it is indeed an unparalleled privilege to have contributed to this. Conservative school systems have, however, not yet embraced the use of the fables. We have therefore decided to ensure that anyone who would like access to this book and the fables, can do so through one website.

This is a strategic step forward for my whole network. We are setting out on an exciting journey, with this book being only the first step of many. With the 365 fables we envision as the real backbone of all our work being made available in every classroom and home around the world, we trust that these will serve as an inspiration and a call to action for the next generation, and every generation after that for the greater good of all sharing our amazing home, our blue planet, with us.

Salzburg,

30 th August 2017

Foreword to the
Australian Edition of
The Blue Economy 3.0

It is our pleasure to say a few words before you read through this amazing book. In these pages you will find a wealth of inspiration, backed up by example after example of where these initiatives have been implemented in practice, which provide numerous opportunities for Australian businesses to create new revenue streams, sustainably, long into the future. If you havent come across the work of Gunter Pauli and his colleagues as yet then you are in for a real treat, and if you have then prepare to be updated, as this Australian Edition is the first to be based on The Blue Economy 3.0, which presents a never before seen expos on the principles used to guide the implementation of this exciting approach. These principles are game changers that have the potential to rewrite the business textbooks and reignite innovation and creativity where many thought it was lost. Crucially, they show that competitiveness is achievable even where costs have traditionally been thought to be too high.

Gunter s vision of a Blue Economy is about creating highly competitive economies that work for everyone on our amazing blue planet. Early in his career Gunter found out that his very successful company, which was receiving awards for its environmental credentials, was reliant on destroying rainforest in Indonesia to provide palm oil. This presented a crossroad: ignore the impact and keep accepting accolades and profits or do something about it. After choosing the latter he dedicated himself to redefining the way business is done so it can deliver real value for decades to come. Gunters message in this book is simple, yet extremely powerful: lets create more value with what we have, much more . The book moves us on from a relentless focus on competing on the basis of one or a limited number of products and offers a new approach: a business model that has us uncover new revenue streams and sources of jobs using resources that are widely available locally, and that also creates a multiplier of economic, social and environmental benefits locally.

When we first heard Gunter speak we were, of course, spellbound, but in truth wondered if much of what he was saying was based on one-offs or things that were possible in theory only. While anecdotes inspire us, they do not turn the dial. However, now having visited many of the places where these initiatives have been implemented in practice, we can see that rather than being an academic conversation about what might work, this book lays out a blueprint based on what has worked in practice to form the basis for a refresh of the way we do business around the world.