There are many ways of doing business. The prevalence of one model over another is often determined by inertia — the historical enemy of innovation — as well as, perhaps, trends. However, since all innovation is both the cause and effect of change, it is more than legitimate to ask why change things that already work. The answer, often forgotten by business leaders overwhelmed by ten thousand little daily questions, is this: nowhere is it written that things which work today will definitely work tomorrow.

Let’s think about what has happened over the last ten to twenty years. Unsinkable companies, brands, and business models have disappeared at the speed of shooting stars, and then the pandemic delivered the coup de grâce. Today, the most highly capitalised companies in the world are those that invent, produce, and distribute goods and services using tools and forms of digital intelligence. This fact obviously does not imply absolute intangibility. It is not enough to make a product, it must also be made available: the anonymous parcel from who-knows-where will rely on the support of roads, infrastructures, motor vehicles, and, of course, people.

Other than digitalisation, the primary driver of change in our age is the climate. A business model that does not take this into account is thus doomed to failure: Government institutions, central banks, and credit institutions will only support initiatives that are consistent with environmental sustainability.