In *Doughnut Economics*, Kate Raworth presents a new economic model that combines the concept of planetary boundaries with social boundaries. The 'doughnut' framework aims to ensure that no one falls short on life's essentials while preventing the overshoot of Earth's life-supporting systems. Raworth argues for a shift from growth-at-any-costs mentality to an economy that prioritizes human and planetary well-being, drawing on diverse schools of thought including ecological, behavioral, feminist, and institutional economics. The book offers seven key ways to reframe economic thinking for the 21st century, emphasizing the need for economies that are regenerative and distributive by design.
The book proposes a new industrial revolution where products are designed to have an endless life cycle, moving from one new idea to the next without waste. It critiques the traditional 'cradle to grave' approach and presents examples of successful projects that implement cradle-to-cradle principles. The authors emphasize collaboration and the need for a mindset shift to achieve sustainable and regenerative design practices.
This book delves into Patagonia's unique approach to business, emphasizing environmental and social responsibility. It explores the company's values, decision-making processes, and commitment to creating a positive impact. The authors share their experiences and insights, offering valuable lessons for other organizations seeking to integrate purpose into their operations. The book highlights Patagonia's journey, from a small climbing equipment company to a global brand, showcasing how a strong culture can drive both business success and positive change. It emphasizes the importance of aligning business practices with core values and the long-term benefits of prioritizing sustainability and social responsibility.
The Future We Choose presents two contrasting scenarios for the planet by 2050: one where we fail to meet the Paris Agreement’s climate targets, leading to a world of severe climate consequences, and another where we achieve a regenerative, carbon-neutral world. The authors argue for confronting the climate crisis head-on with determination and optimism, outlining what governments, corporations, and individuals must do to prevent disaster. The book emphasizes the importance of hope, collective action, and the adoption of three essential mindsets: stubborn optimism, endless abundance, and radical regeneration.
The book, commissioned by the Club of Rome, uses the World3 computer model to simulate the consequences of interactions between human systems and the Earth. It examines five basic factors: population increase, agricultural production, nonrenewable resource depletion, industrial output, and pollution generation. The authors conclude that if current growth trends continue, the Earth's resources will be depleted, leading to a sudden and uncontrollable decline in population and industrial capacity. However, the book also offers a message of hope, suggesting that forward-looking policy could prevent such outcomes if humanity acts promptly to reduce inefficiency and waste.
Kara Pecknold, VP of Regenerative Design at Frog and a leading voice in sustainable innovation, joined us for a conversation on what it truly means to design for regeneration.She breaks down the challenges and opportunities of embedding regenerative thinking into organisations, helping us explore how brands can move beyond green checklists toward a deeper, systemic approach that lies at the intersection of nature, culture, and business goals.Highlighting that “Regenerative design can help businesses localise,” she also discusses a potential direction to navigate today’s global crises, thus requiring a reframing of business as we know it.This episode invites us to imagine futures where businesses give back more than they take, offering a hopeful push we all need.
In this episode, Kara draws from her experience of guiding regenerative design with clients across diverse local contexts, helping us imagine the power of viewing business like nature. She speaks on how regenerative design cannot be siloed into CSR activities, and why it's important that it be tied to all parts of the organisation.She also touches upon several frameworks tackling this problem, like biomimicry, the doughnut economy etc. - helping us put a practical approach to regeneration, rather than viewing it as an idealistic utopian future.
Tune in to discover how this future-focused approach can guide you through the complexities within the boundaries of today’s world.
Key Highlights
👉 Regenerative design encourages businesses to rethink growth by focusing on giving back more than they take from natural and social systems.
👉 Embedding regenerative thinking requires breaking silos - making it a company-wide commitment, not just a CSR initiative.
👉 Localising parts of your business can build resilience amid global disruptions like supply chain challenges and geopolitical shifts.
👉 Regeneration blends nature, culture, and business goals into an integrated systemic approach.
👉 Leadership buy-in at the top and empowerment at the grassroots are both essential for regeneration to take root.
👉 Limits and boundaries are vital concepts, challenging the endless-growth mindset and inspiring new business models.
👉 Biomimicry offers design inspiration by learning from nature’s time-tested strategies and cycles.
👉 Designing for regeneration means fostering creative disruption rather than clinging to business as usual.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Regenerative Business: What Does It Mean? - Intro
(01:24) Introducing Kara Pecknold
(03:10) The Personal Side of Transformation
(05:20) Tactical Implementation of Regenerative Design
(09:30) Defining the Natural Element
(12:23) Do customers seek a regenerative future?
(16:49) Navigating the Tension in Regenerative Indicators
(19:40) Does Regenerative Design Apply to Digital Companies?
(24:31) Bio-regionalism and Relocalization of Business
(28:15) Regenerative and Localized Organizational Design
(31:09) Impact on Organizational Operating Models
(33:27) Role of External Stakeholders
(35:22) Defining Regeneration
(36:04) Constraints and Limits within Regeneration
(41:09) Reimaging Design beyond the Classics
(45:27) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/pecknold-kara
Episode recorded on Apr 24, 2025
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at boundaryless.io/resources/podcast/
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
Boundaryless Conversations Podcast 
