Degrowth and CSR in the New Eco-Social contract

To reach our sustainable development goals, the world has to speed up the transition. For this goal, the UN research institute for social development (UNRISD) has written a manifesto, which discusses a “new eco-social contract”.

In this article, Jeroen Lindhout discusses the limitations of this eco-social contract in its current form, by emphasizing that the largest role has to be played by transitioning away from unbridled capitalism. To succeed, two things need to be realized. First, “Degrowth Economics” is inevitable for the future. Second, Corporate Social Responsibility principles are an effective framework to initiate this transition to a degrowth economy.