Mastering the Balance: Achieving Success and Ethics Simultaneously
Rewritten Article:
Meet Andi Cross, ** founder of impact consultancy WILDPALM, lead of the Edges of Earth expedition, writer, growth strategist, and SSI divemaster**.
The quest for our organization began with a simple inquiry: What's life like on the Earth's fringes as the climate transforms rapidly? We discovered that each response unmasked new questions. But amid everything we've witnessed and learned, a consistent theme echoed: Businesses play a vital role in shielding vulnerable communities and ecosystems dwelling on the edge.
From the South Pacific Islands to the Americas, we've heard the same lament from those living on the brink. The world needs a better means. And so today, as we scour territory's outskirts, we also dig for the outliers of enterprises: the ones bucking the trend by demonstrating that financial prosperity and environmental obligation can converge.
For far too long, I think sustainability has been delegated to the domain of activists, policy-makers, and environmentalists, leaving businesses languishing in an independent sphere. But bridging this stark divide is what may necessitate change most urgently.
Companies harbor the power to fund solutions, reallocate resources, and chart a path to a fairer, regenerative world. Yet integrating sustainability into a business model, where it stands integral rather than an add-on, requires finesse.
Separating the Chaff: Champions of Sustainability
After extensive research, fieldwork, and collaboration with strategic advisors, such as the Marine Conservation Institute, the High-Level Climate Champions, and SHE Changes Climate, we've fine-tuned a framework to spotlight companies that make conservation, community development, and sustainability a cornerstone of their identity, not merely an advertising buzzword.
Equipped with firsthand experience and insights from the communities feeling the sting of climatic change, we've singled out organizations leading the charge. And while we've trailed over 150 companies worldwide, three have emerged as undeniable torchbearers of the cause, proving that profitability and conservation can not merely coexist, but can thrive in harmony.
1. Luxe Tourism Meets Conservation in East Africa's Eco-Retreats
I view Elewana Collection and the Land & Life Foundation as spearheading a cutting-edge approach to seamlessly melding luxury tourism with sustainability. Elewana operates 16 plush eco-camps and lodges across East Africa, nestled within private conservancies and national parks to maximize conservation impact. Their properties prioritize exquisite experiences while maintaining an unwavering commitment to environmental and community well-being.
Revenue generated by Elewana properties flows back into the Land & Life Foundation, bolstering vast conservation and sustainability initiatives in each region they operate. This encompasses rigorous carbon neutrality efforts, ecosystem restoration, and direct support for schools, health clinics, and women's empowerment programs.
Each property is strategically positioned to optimize positive change, ensuring benefits extend to both wildlife and people alike.
2. Sustainable Sanctuaries in Zanzibar
Chumbe Island Coral Park (CHICOP) is a striking example of a closed-loop tourism model in Zanzibar, where every dollar expended supports conservation efforts and environmental education. Its business arm operates a limited collection of eco-bungalows on the island, designed for maximum sustainability—solar-powered, waste-free, and completely self-sufficient. These bungalows afford guests the opportunity to immerse themselves in one of the last untouched land and sea sanctuaries.
Conservation-wise, CHICOP's privately managed marine reserve boasts some of the highest coral coverage rates in the region—and even the world—thanks to its strict no-take policy. This has fostered a spillover effect, replenishing fish stocks in neighboring fishing zones and benefiting local communities relying on the sea for food security and livelihoods.
CHICOP also invests heavily in education and employment, offering prospects where they're scarce.
3. Marine Protection and Community Empowerment in Raja Ampat
Misool Resort and Misool Foundation embody two interconnected pillars: a high-end eco-resort and a globally recognized conservation foundation. Based in the remote southern region of Raja Ampat, Indonesia, the resort provides funds for Misool Foundation, which champions marine conservation, restoration, and community empowerment.
Initially, the foundation's focus was to halt illegal shark finning and destructive fishing practices. Once under control, their concentration expanded to encompass large-scale reef restoration, marine rewilding, and continued community engagement. For instance, underwater video surveys have shown that shark populations within the Misool Marine Reserve have increased by 190% since 2012, thanks to strict no-take zones, community-led restoration, and ongoing dialogue.
Beyond marine conservation, the foundation supports local schools, delivers ecosystem education, enhances waste management, develops alternative livelihoods, and partners with national and global actors to amplify their reach.
Measuring the Outliers
I believe each of these models showcases that when sustainability becomes the backbone of a business, success inevitably follows. Groundbreaking companies excel in this realm by meshing sustainability into every layer of operations, from supply chains to hiring practices to re-investing profits in meaningful impact.
What can new and established businesses glean from them?
- Embrace sustainability from the outset: Integrate it into your core business strategy, defining your mission—be it environmental or social—and crafting a model that actively contributes to it.
- Benchmark against industry trailblazers: Study those succeeding in the field and examine the elements that make them successful—cherry-picking strategies that resonate with your sector.
- Commit to long-term impact: Transient actions won't suffice. To thrive, sustainable businesses continually refine their practices, from ethical sourcing and waste reduction to ongoing conservation initiatives like CHICOP, which channels tourist dollars back into neighborhoods.
- View sustainability as an asset, not a liability: Fortifying your company for the future necessitates embedding resilience, adaptability, and ecological accountability into its very essence. Companies unwilling or unable to adapt may face obsolescence.
The playbook is already in our hands. Across industries, outliers have shown us what works. The real question is not whether businesses can bring about meaningful change; it's whether they'll choose to.
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- Andi Cross, the founder of WILDPALM, thinks that businesses can play a significant role in protecting vulnerable communities and ecosystems on the edge of the Earth.
- After extensive research, collaboration with strategic advisors, and firsthand experience, WILDPALM has identified three organizations that are leading the charge in combining financial prosperity with environmental responsibility.
- These companies include Elewana Collection, Chumbe Island Coral Park, and Misool Resort and Misool Foundation, which demonstrate that conservation, community development, and sustainability can be a cornerstone of a business model, rather than just an advertising buzzword.
