Dear supporters and members of the ECG,
The year 2019 has been a huge success for the Economy for the Common Good and 2020 is looking pretty good already. Here are some of the highlights from 2019:
- The year began with the with the towns of Bordelum, Breklum and Klixbüll in Northern Germany having completed a Common Good Balance Sheet
- In February researchers from the University of Valencia, Spain presented their study of 206 ECG certified companies. They concluded that the ECG promotes both ethical and financial performance and is worthy of imitation and institutionalisation.
- In March, ECG representatives presented our ideas in Geneva before the high-ranking political SDG forum of the United Nations
- In April, the ECG-certified Hotel Das Capri received the Vienna Environmental Award 2019 and the municipalities of Breklum, Bordelum and Klixbüll receive the Schleswig-Holstein received the Sustainability Award for their Common Good certification.
- Also in April the first Best Economy Forum took place in Bolzano, Italy where the participants announced a common charter as an alternative to the World Economic Forum
- In June, the German Green Party called for the Common Good Balance Sheet to be completed by at least two federally-owned utilities.
- In August, the Brakel city council unanimously decided to become a Common Good Municipality in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
- On 20 September ECG Local Chapters in Germany, Austria and Switzerland actively participated in the worldwide climate strike.
- In October the first ECG Local Chapter was founded in Côte d'Ivoire.
- In November, the first scientific conference on the Economy for the Common Good was held in Bremen, Germany.
- In December a new ECG chapter was founded in Africa: A warm welcome goes to Burundi!
We are excited to have finished our new flyer. You might also find this Media Briefing helpful in spreading the word about the ECG. If you understand some German you can check out our wonderful new explainer video about the ECG. Soon it will be available in English.
Warm wishes to all and Season's Greetings,
Bridget Knapper and Gus Hagelberg
In this Issue
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Important
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Letter from Christian Felber
Let us make a good life for everyone a reality!
Dear supporters of the Economy for the Common Good,
We have had some impressive achievements this year. Here are just a few of them:
- The state of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany awarded the first three municipalities with a Common Good Balance Sheet in Northern Germany the Sustainability Award.
- The first health insurance company with a Common Good Balance Sheet received the Climate Action Award at the 24th Climate Summit in Katowice, Poland.
- The Economy for the Common Good was scientifically recognized as a social innovation. (available only in German)
- The BEST ECONOMY forum started as a Common Good oriented alternative to the World Economic Summit in Davos. (available only in German)
- The creation of the Common Good Balance Sheet by two national companies was requested by the federal Green Party in the German Parliament. (available only in German)
We want to continue writing this success story and we need your help. By becoming a member of one of our ECG associations or by donating to the Economy for the Common Good, you will help to fund the staff positions and projects to create even more change. For example:
- Increase public awareness with an "ECG label"
- An ECG academy to support educational work
- A digital tool for an easier Common Good Balance Sheet and many more.
If you are already a member or you cannot/do not want to donate, we would really appreciate it, if you could tell friends, family and colleagues about the ECG. If everyone convinced one person to become a member of an ECG association (for ex. 5 euros per month), we could ensure the financing of our needed full-time staff and we could also start several projects to realize a good life for everyone.
Beneficiary: International Association for Supporting the Economy for the Common Good
IBAN: DE50 4306 0967 2062 4339 00
BIC: GENODEM1GLS
Purpose: ECG2020
Bank: GLS Bank eG
PS: The association is charitable and tax-deductible for those located in Germany. For other countries see the following links:
Belgium, Chile, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, United Kingdom, USA, others
PPS: You want to see, what your money was used for in 2018 in detail? Then have a look at our annual report (Link to download). For further questions call +49 40 76 486 545 or via e-mail fundraising@ecogood.org.
Yours sincerely,
Christian Felber (Co-initiator of the Economy for the Common Good movement)
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Businesses
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This year ECG Catalonia had great success in the Barcelona district of Horta-Guinardó. With the financial or organisational assistance from the municipality, ten companies were able to complete the Common Good Balance Sheet. The project has been very rewarding for both the local companies and the consultants of the ECG Catalonia Association. We had a closing session at the end of October 2019 with all parties involved, including the city officials from Barcelona, additional interested companies and Christian Felber.
ECG Catalonia is also excited to announce that Barcelona has agreed to extend the project into 2020. The district of Sants- Montjuïc has committed to go through the same exercise with new companies in that part of the city.
For more information contact us at Info@ebccatalunya.cat
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Interesting Facts
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ECG and the Economy of Francesco
Marta Avesani, ECG activist and board member of ECG Italy has been successful in securing one of the places as ‘change-maker’ on the Economy of Francesco, an international meeting between young scholars and activists in the field of economics, convened by Pope Francis. The event, to be held in Assisi from March 26 to March 28 2020, is for young entrepreneurs and social change-makers to come together to create a better economy.
From their website:
"It will provide an environment where time slows down and room is made for silence and reflection. Workshops and artistic presentations will be offered by the best-known economists, sustainable development experts, female and male entrepreneurs currently engaged globally in creating a different economy – with the proposal of engendering common reflection and collaboration with and among the young participants. The Nobel Prize winners Muhammad Yunus and Amarthya Sen have already confirmed their presence at the Economy of Francesco. In addition, other participants will include Bruno Frey, Tony Meloto, Carlo Petrini, Kate Raworth, Jeffrey Sachs, Vandana Shiva and Stefano Zamagni. To embrace young people, beyond differences in belief and nationality, an agreement to change the current economy and humanize the economy of tomorrow: to make it more just, more sustainable and to give new prominence to excluded people."
ECG and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
ECG Sweden has been active and received municipal funding to have the business guidelines for implementing the SDGs translated into Swedish. You can find out more on their website or you can download the pdf here.
You are also welcome to visit this English-language webpage with the business guidelines, designed to help companies use ECG while working to implement the SDGs.
German Sustainability Prize awarded to ECG-certified company Taifun Tofu
The German tofu producer and ECG certified company, Taifun Tofu, recieved the German Sustainability Prize.
The town of Marktgemeinde Nenzing receives Austrian SDG Award
The ECG town of Marktgemeinde Nenzig was chosen from a pool of 100 companies, towns and organisations as recipient of the Austrian SDG Award.
German towns of Breklum, Bordelum and Klixbuell receive Sustainability Prize
The three Northern German towns received the prize after having themselves completed the Common Good Balance Sheet.
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International
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Measuring impact at the Campus de la Transition
Château de Forges, France
ECG France and ECG Netherlands were invited in the week of 21st of October 2019 to participate in a workshop on ethical measurements. This took place at the Campus de la Transition, situated in the Château de Forges near Paris. The brand new Campus is inspired by Schumacher College, UK and the Sustainability Institute, South Africa. Professor Cécile Renouard, known in France for her work on commons and the Common Good, gave a demonstration of a new impact measurement tool, the RCI, the Relational Capabilities Index, based on the work of the economist Amartya Sen and philosopher Martha Nussbaum. Christine Vanderlieb from ECG France and Fernando Suárez Müller from ECG Netherlands explained how the Matrix 5.0 works.
Cécile Renouard is interested in joining forces when it comes to promoting ethical impact measurements on the European Union level. Participants from different regions of France were very interested in the ECG Matrix. The idea of a Common Good City or Region was very appealing to them. ECG members are invited to come and visit the new transition campus in Forges.
“The visit to the Château de Forges was a very productive experience both on the level of academic exchange and on the level of meeting French activists who are engaged in projects similar to ECG. This might lead to the constitution of new chapters in France”, said Fernando.
“I enjoyed very much participating in this symposium, getting to know people in France interested in Economy for the Common Good. We learned about different ECG-like initiatives in several regions of France. The abstract work of academic scholars was sometimes a bit far from daily practice and practicality, but we all agreed on the fundamental values that an ethical impact tool should measure”, said Christine.
Letter from ECG Chile
Dear social leaders, members and friends of ECG Chile,
Chile is going through a historic moment where specific changes are required in all areas and citizens have said it very clearly. We as citizens and members of ECG Chile have the responsibility to act accordingly.
ECG has always acted at the citizen level, promoting social economy, corporate responsibility and the principles of the Common Good.
We feel it is necessary to add a new stage and even more ambitious level of action such as "Think Country" because Chilean society is asking for it.
This new proposed stage consists in presenting proposals for public discussion of permanent public policies to the community so that it is submitted to its scrutiny. We want to promote the dissemination, participation and discussion of this draft document: Proposal for the Economy of the Common Good for Chile.
We invite you to contribute and help create a document rich in ideas, full of love, social justice and that goes in line with the fundamental principles of the Common Good. We can and should generate changes for a better Chile.
Julio Rojas, Economía del Bien Común Chile, julio.rojasv@usach.cl
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Literature Review
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New edition: Change Everything
by Christian Felber, with foreword by Ann Pettifor
The new and updated edition of the landmark book that has sold over 100k copies worldwide and sparked a global movement is available now. Foreword by Ann Pettifor.
Is it possible for businesses to have a bottom line that is not profit and endless growth, but human dignity, justice, sustainability and democracy? Or an alternative economic model that is untainted by the greed and crises of current financial systems? Christian Felber says it is. Moreover, in Change Everything he shows us how.
Order your copy from Zed books.
Trading for Good - How global trade can be made to serve people not money,
by Christian Felber
In an era of increasing global inequality, free trade ideologues and protectionist prophets, Christian Felber sets out a visionary new roadmap for making trade good.
Trade is the lifeblood of the global economy, but few would consider it a social good. Instead, our views on trade have polarised between two extremes: ‘free trade’ ideologues who regard trade as an end in itself, and ‘protectionists’ who view it as a destructive force to be contained. But there is another way to trade - one with the interests of people, not profit, at its heart.
Penetrating and passionate, Christian Felber shows how this brave new economic world can be built democratically from the grassroots up, and how trading for good can be made a reality.
Order you copy from Zed books.
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Local Chapters
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News from ECG Kenya
We at ECG Kenya have started a number of initiatives and feel that our chapter is growing strong.
- We have successfully created a network of activists reaching across numerous African countries.
- We created a new ECG Kenya website to help coordinate and highlight our activities.
- We approached two large companies, Safaricom PLC and Ndumberi Cooperative Society, to discuss the idea of doing a Common Good Report.
- We are engaging with two political parties, Amani National Congress Party (ANC) and Thirdway Alliance Party of Kenya. We were invited for a few meetings to talk about the values of democratic self-determination and transparency, social justice and cooperation.
- We are directly involved in the restoration and conservation of Undiri Swamp, a large body of water with a high level of biodiversity. We are partnering with many stakeholders from government agencies to various community groups and NGOs.
- We have engaged various institutions such as Cooperative University of Kenya and North Pole College, where we were given a chance to talk to the young people about the ideals of the ECG.
For more information contact David Kimani, david.kimani@ecogood.org.
Introductory Video about Getting Involved in ECG
Check out this new video about getting more involved in ECG.
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Events
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ECG Consultancy Training
2020 Dates
Utrecht, Holland - Thursday 30th January - Sunday 2nd February, 2020
Contact: Estefanía Matesanz
London, UK - Thursday 23rd April - Sunday 26th April, 2020
Contact: Bridget Knapper
The training courses have been organised by the ECG associations of three countries: ECG United Kingdom, ECG Belgium, and ECG Netherlands. Gerd Hofielen and Nils Wittke will be the trainers.
The Economy for the Common Good (ECG) framework is a comprehensive management tool which empowers organisations to find their true purpose and make a meaningful contribution to society.
Businesses that have adopted the Economy for the Common Good (ECG) framework report:
- improved staff engagement and well-being
- enhanced corporate reputation
- reduced carbon footprint
- greater sustainability in their supply chain
- improved relations between staff and management
- higher levels of customer trust
- financial performance maintained or enhanced
The course will cover:
- Applying ECG thinking and practice in organisations
- Themes, aspects and indicators that constitute the Common Good Matrix
- Creating a Common Good Report
- Publishing a Common Good Balance Sheet
- Building a professional practice as an ECG consultant
- The course also forms the basis for becoming a certified ECG Consultant.
The training will be valuable to anyone interested in new models of the economy and in spreading ECG principles and practice.
The Economy for the Common Good movement is only possible because of assistance through membership fees, donations and the amazing team of volunteers spread across the globe.
You too can get involved and help:
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If you have any feedback about this newsletter or content for the next one, please send us a note (gus.hagelberg@ecogood.org).