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OnePlanet Logic

Context and ecological limits

News is coming out, almost on a daily basis, about the damage that is being done to global ecosystems or of new records in terms of temperature or climate related disasters. Ecological footprint accounting suggests that we are consuming natural resources 50% faster than the planet can regenerate them.

Of the nine Planetary Boundaries identified by scientists, the dangerous threshold for two of them have already been passed, two more are at the limit of the safe boundary and two more are unknown. When a threshold is passed the planet may switch into a different stable state, potentially with a lower capacity to support life. An example of this is the Amazon switching from a rainforest to savannah ecosystem.

All the indicators point to the fact that reducing our impact on the natural environment is no longer enough – we need to regenerate planet earth’s ecological systems.

And this will require a new way of thinking…

Systems thinking: focus on the connections

Sustainability Outcomes benefit from ‘joined-up’ thinking, where Actions conceived and taken together lead to a much greater overall benefit than Actions which are taken without considering the impact on the whole.

Creating the most effective Outcomes needs a ‘systems thinking’ approach, based on an understanding of the relationships and interconnections, for example: between personal health and well-being, the economy, climate, transport, food, pollution, community and wealth inequality. To create and implement good sustainability plans and strategies we need to work across siloes of departments, industries, supply chains and stakeholders; to ensure joined-up solutions.

Current approaches to sustainability and sustainability tools do not enable people to identify, visualise and manage relationships and connections and do not work well across siloes. Without a clear consideration of relationships and connections, any Actions are unlikely to be joined-up and so, although they might tackle one problem, they are not likely to deliver good results across a range of Outcomes.

The OnePlanet platform

The OnePlanet platform and ‘Mindmap’ planning tool provides you with a way to have a clear focus on the Outcomes you want to achieve. We make it easy for you to create and deliver joined-up plans and strategies based on a ‘systems thinking’ approach. Plans made with OnePlanet can be ‘internally’ joined up by linking Outcomes, Actions and Indicators in one Plan, but can also be joined up across departments or organisations. In this way, you can work in a coordinated way across departments, with your colleagues, customers, supply chain and other stakeholders; and be relevant, for individual staff, up to senior leadership. The OnePlanet platform helps you to see the relationships and interconnections necessary to deliver the most effective Outcomes and Actions that our planet needs.

To date OnePlanet has enabled companies, cities, countries and citizens to collaborate, plan in a joined-up way and align actions towards common, shared Outcomes. This has saved resources and has delivered Outcomes more easily, quickly and cost-effectively than would have otherwise been possible.

OnePlanet’s innovative platform can enhance your organisation’s sustainability planning, management, communication and reporting – doing more for less. By fully integrating sustainability into your operations the OnePlanet platform can unlock new opportunities for businesses, governments and not-for-profits.

Explainer videos

OnePlanet Background

OnePlanet: Why have we built it?

OnePlanet Product Overview
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