Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take

Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever, and Andrew Winston, a sustainable business expert, have written a book called "Net Positive: How to Build a Thriving Business by Giving Back More to the World Than You Take." The book argues that companies can profit by fixing the world's problems, not creating them, and provides a roadmap for corporate leaders to make their companies Net Positive. Net Positive companies unleash innovation, build trust, attract the best people, thrill customers, and secure lasting success by helping create stronger, more inclusive societies and a healthier planet.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 05 October 2021
Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press

The Financial Times Best Business Book of the Year


Named one of 10 Best New Management Books for 2022 by Thinkers50


An advocate of sustainable capitalism explains how it's done.




The Economist


Polman's new book with the sustainable business expert Andrew Winston...argues that it's profitable to do business with the goal of making the world better.




The New York Times


Named as recommended reading by Fortune's CEO Daily




Polman has been one of the most significant chief executives of his era, and that his approach to business and its role in society has been both valuable and path-breaking.




The Financial Times


The ex-Unilever CEO who increased his shareholders' returns by 300% while ensuring the company ranked #1 in the world for sustainability for eleven years running has, for the first time, revealed how to do it.




Teaming up with Andrew Winston, one of the world's most authoritative voices on corporate sustainability, Paul Polman shows business leaders how to take on humanity's greatest and most urgent challenges—climate change and inequality—and build a thriving business as a result.




In this candid and straight-talking handbook, Polman and Winston reveal the secrets of Unilever's success and pull back the curtain on some of the world's most powerful c-suites.


Net Positive


boldly argues that the companies of the future will profit by fixing the world's problems, not creating them.




Together, the authors explode our most prevalent corporate myths: from the idea that business' only function is to maximize profits, to the naïve hope that Corporate Social Responsibility will save our species from disaster. These approaches, they argue, are destined for the graveyard. Instead, they show corporate leaders how to make their companies Net Positive—that is, to create more value for society than they take from it.




By doing so, they not only drive economic growth but also help to address some of the world's most pressing social and environmental challenges. This is a practical and inspiring guide for business leaders who want to make a positive impact on the world and build a successful, sustainable business.

Weight: 672g
Dimension: 165 x 242 x 35 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781647821302