Climate & Environment
Regenerative Business
Definition
A regenerative business is one designed to create net-positive value for the living systems and communities it depends on — restoring soils, ecosystems, social fabric and capabilities rather than only reducing negative impacts. The concept extends regenerative agriculture's logic to enterprise design: business as an active participant in the health of the systems it inhabits, often contrasted with "sustainable" (doing less harm) as a higher ambition.
References
Supports definition and framing.
Overview
How it is used
The concept appears in sustainability strategy, circular and regenerative design consultancies, impact investment theses and management literature (notably the work of John Elkington and the "regenerative capitalism" school).
Why it matters
Regenerative business frames the leading edge of corporate sustainability ambition: whether it becomes a measurable discipline or a marketing register will shape its usefulness.