Why, context for reflection

Economics is a very young science (Marx, 1776; Keynes, 1918), a social science, and simplistically defined as: to produce together. Together as being part of a human-centred production system. Such economic system is desired to maintain production. Finance is an important capital pillar for operationalising an economy.  Nowadays our financial capital pillar manages, decides and runs the entire economic system. Manufactured products and services nevertheless needs multiple capital pillars (economic, ecologic, social, human and humanitarian) to be operational and in service. Our actual operating model seems not to value all these capital pillars. Let’s have a deeper look.

Risks are an integrated part of the financial capital pillar, or not? A distorted image of a company, for example, will be given, if not all assets are calculated for (including risks evaluation). For a complete estimation of an asset valuing the tangible (simplistic measurable) and intangible is needed for accuracy in value estimation. Financial intangible assets are more difficult to measure like goodwill, trademarks, licenses for example. Opposite, negative intangible assets, for example societal damages and planetary risks are often not included in the valuation of the company or the economic system. Capitalism helped us in the simplistic journey of measurement to calculate the value of an organisation but did not include all the capital used for the economic production. 

Capitalism is a system in which simplistic financial capital measures the total value. Especially after a period of growth due to long-lasting world war instability accelerated production and living standards. Risks and all assets of the sustainability capital pillars should be calculated for if a more realistic evaluation of a company and economy is desired. Initially to better understand the value and stability of the entity but also for being holistic, universal intelligent upwards our economic system. ESG reporting is a great evolved tool for calculating sustainability value from out of risk management perspective. Value and assets are differently calculated for in comparison with the capitalism system (the financial pillar measurables). ESG is inclusive upwards the easy measurable values of the capital pillars of sustainability: the ecologic, social and governance ones. Nevertheless, it does not value all sustainability pillar assets like the human and humanitarian ones, neither all intangible assets of the five capital pillars of sustainability (The Five Capitals – Forum for the Future). By excluding such assets this will oversee many societal risks impacting business and creates an incomplete asset valuation. If we don’t include neither the human-(itarian), spiritual pillar neither overall common good care approach the result will fall back into short term (profit) thinking which is against long-term principles of sustainability and economic systems in general. Such incomplete risky valuation may over-simplify (just looking at the simplistic measures of today) the operational systems. 

A long-term focussed economic system will have to include all tangible and intangible values, assets and corresponding risks represented by the five sustainability pillars (economic, ecologic, social, human and spiritual). Evolution of the capitalism system will result into a planetary care, productive operational system, Sustainabilism©™. Such economic system is defined as an universal intelligence system inclusive upwards all tangible and intangible assets of the five capital pillars of sustainability and therefor common good care focussed. If humanity continues slavery upwards itself in such system, the human, spiritual and social pillar will be excluded and the Sustainabilism©™ system will degrade back to a simplistic capital system.