New Economy
The Quintuple Bottom Line: A Framework for Place-Based Sustainable Enterprise in the Craft Industry
This article explores the ways that contemporary craft businesses can be looked at as case studies to illustrate new economic models. The authors draw on several alternative models that foreground sustainability, such as cradle-to-cradle, doughnut, and circular economics. They argue that the sustainability ethics of these models need to be embedded in business, so they propose a “Quintuple Bottom Line” that makes “purpose, profit, people, planet and place” the foundation of business decisions (1). The authors examine the craft practices of small business owners in Scotland and Nepal, finding that that craftspeople in both locations are sensitive to the influence and potential of place on their work. They find, for example, that a large percentage of the Scottish craftspeople wished to or had already taken steps towards making their businesses environmentally sustainable (5). In Nepal, the authors interviewed the owners of small social enterprises, and found many that relied on principles of circular economy. For example, many new businesses found material opportunities in the recycling of agri-waste into their products (9). Many of these emerging businesses also made use of traditional an Indigenous knowledge related to the ecosystems and farming practices of the area (11). In both countries, environmental awareness was high among business owners who often sought to reuse and recycle waste material when possible. This article highlights how environmental awareness can be integrated into the practices of businesses that make small scale material products grounded in traditional and place-based knowledge.
Panneels, Inge. 2023. “The Quintuple Bottom Line: A Framework for Place-Based Sustainable Enterprise in the Craft Industry.” Sustainability 15 (4): 3791. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043791.
Explore Hashtags:
#craft
#place-based knowledge