VideoCorporate Political Responsibility Taskforce

Implications of Limits to Growth for CPR

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On May 18, 2023,, we spoke with Gaya Herrington of Schneider Electric to explore “Examining the ‘Limits to Growth’ Model: Systems Thinking, Sustainability & CPR”

Today’s debates over sustainability and prosperity hinge on foundational assumptions about the economy, growth and the drivers of human well-being. Since its publication in 1972, the “Limits to Growth” model commissioned by the Club of Rome has been at the center of such debates, raising fundamental questions about whether prosperity is inherently linked to material consumption, and whether “business as usual” models of economic growth will lead to greater prosperity or collapse.

In this module, we explore:

  • How would you define CPR?
  • Where should companies be more involved and why? Where should they reduce their influence or stay out?

The Corporate Political Responsibility Taskforce (CPRT)’s Expert Dialogues are in-depth, recorded conversations with academic experts, stakeholder advocates and business practitioners to provide our members and other CPR champions with the expertise and context they need to develop principled, proactive CPR strategies. We invite those interested in a constructive, non-partisan, principles-based discussion.

Gaya Herrington is the former Director of Sustainability Services for KPMG US, author of Five Insights to Avoid Global Collapse: What a 50-year Old Model of the World Taught Me About a Way Forward for Us Today, based on research that examined updated quantitative information and found that current empirical data is broadly consistent with the 1972 projections and that if major changes to the consumption of resources are not undertaken, economic growth will peak and then rapidly decline by around 2040.

Keywords: #CorporatePoliticalResponsibility, #CPR_Climate, #CPR_Environment, #CPR_Long-term Value, #CPR_ESG, #CPR_Systemic Risk, #CPR_Trends, #CPR_Responsibility, #CPR_Resiliency, #CPR_CivicInstitutions

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ArticleThe Erb Institute CPR Taskforce

Patricia McLagan is an author, consultant, and business owner with fifty years’ experience supporting large scale change processes in business and governments globally. From 1983 through 2004, Pat consulted with major South African businesses, government entities, universities, and parastatals, and chaired the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation after returning to the US. This article draws on her personal experience with South African businesses and government entities from 1983 into the 2010s, focusing on what some white South African business leaders did in a time of polarization and potential civil war. 

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Comments from business leaders, academics, civil society organizations and others commenting how the Erb Principles for Corporate Political Responsibility can help with managing risk, sustaining market economies, strengthening civic institutions and enabling long-term value for business and society. 

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This collection of testimonials from business leaders, academics, investors, and advocates highlights the growing recognition of corporate political responsibility (CPR) as a business imperative. The Erb Principles for CPR are endorsed as a practical, nonpartisan framework to help companies align political activity with purpose, values, and democratic institutions. Testimonials emphasize CPR's role in managing reputational risk, supporting market stability, and safeguarding democracy—making it relevant for firms across sectors and political contexts.

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This research paper provides data that shows the costs to companies of deciding not to speak up on certain issues and the negative stakeholder response to such decisions. The researchers theorize whether and when consumers will negatively respond to corporate silence on a social issue based on the visibility of silence. 

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