From productivism to regeneration in socio-ecological systems: an exploration of tensions, trade-offs and ways forward
Authors:   ,   Universidad del Desarrollo, Hernández Gutiérrez Mauricio 
Published: March 2023

This thesis explores an ideological phenomenon that underlies organizational sustainability practices grounded on active restoration, natural regeneration, and environmental protection. It originates as a contraposition to a productivist ideology attached to growth, the commodification of nature, and the arbitrary use of ecosystems and resources to satisfy human needs, excessive consumption, and business demands. It differs from environmental management practices and counter-movements, making explicit its methodology based on the place flourishing, harmonization, and reconciliation of organizations and natural systems, and on a deep ecocentric ethic that recognizes the intrinsic value in all forms of life and ecosystems themselves, including their abiotic components. We label it Regenerativism, and we define it as the belief that placerestoration, ecological engagement, and protection of life support systems are the inherent action-purpose and responsibility of the human organization. The main objective of this thesis is to investigate and explore the principles, mechanisms, and microfoundations that actively shape acts of repair, regeneration, and protection of ecosystems at the organizational level, which allow for shedding light on a transformative change in the beliefs system and ways of seeing the world. The thesis applies configurational methods to address causal complexity, and inductive exploratory methods, based on informal interviews, ethnographies, and audio-visual methods, to uncover and theorize about new premises that build plausible ecological values, ecocentric principles, and regenerative practices at the organizational level beyond the sustainability paradigm. The first paper proposes a conceptual framework with six interrelated building blocks that could be the explanatory basis for the "Regenerativism" phenomenon. Although Ecocentrism is a worldview that recognizes the intrinsic value in ecosystems and the biological and physical elements that compose them, Regenerativism is part of the ecological processes that connect ecosystems and the biological and physical elements spatially and temporally. The second article allows us to elucidate ecocentric management approaches using one of the blocks proposed above in the framework of sustainability-as-flourishing. Configurational methods are used to offer a new conceptual apparatus and a systemic characterization of ecocentrism in business sustainability. Finally, the third article interweaves three proposed building blocks to explore through an ethnographic study how regenerative organizations work and collaborate with nonhuman animals in acts of restoration and protection of nature. We call it: human-animal mutualism in environmental protection work, and our findings could shed light on the importance of understanding meaningful human-animal relationships to advance our knowledge of environmental protection and business sustainability more broadly. Overall, the findings suggest Regenerativism, within the world of Ecocentrism, is reconnecting human systems and natural systems in acts of restoration, protection, and ecological regeneration. These results also indicate how the organizations that promote and lead regenerativism, an elusive approach until now, are capable of mitigating productivism and weighing it under planetary boundaries. The thesis further shows relevant, unique, and empirical evidence on ecocentric approaches to business management, and principles grounded on animal mutualism to restore and protect patterns of vegetation, biological diversity, and the abundance of species. The findings result in a model that would allow exploring and uncover new micro-foundations based on a socio-ecological context and would allow contributing not only to transform our belief system and ways of seeing the world, but also to materialize regenerative environmental management actions beyond business sustainability practices that are still far from the zero impact that would characterize them as a sustainable enterprise