The 11th Degrowth Conference, combined with the 18th Conference of the International Society for Ecological Economics, took place in Oslo from 24 to 27 June 2025. This joint event aimed to connect theory and action towards a socially just post-growth future. More than 900 participants joined for keynotes, parallel sessions, workshops, and cultural activities.
ECOnGOOD was honoured to present during the parallel session “Business and Organizations Beyond Growth”. We introduced ECOnGOOD as an organisation and movement, highlighting one of our core contributions: the Common Good Matrix and Balance Sheet. The fully packed room reflected the strong interest in the Economy for the Common Good. Many attendees stayed afterwards to learn more about how Matrix 5.1 and the Balance Sheet are applied across sectors and companies. The four core values of ECG — human dignity, environmental sustainability, solidarity and social justice, and transparency and co-determination — were presented as the foundation of the Balance Sheet.
The audience was particularly curious about the stakeholder perspectives, the kinds of businesses we work with, how certain companies perform, and the innovative inclusion of supply chains. Many acknowledged that this process helps organisations move beyond mainstream sustainability practices towards deeper transformation.
ECOnGOOD also listened to participants’ reflections on alternative economic systems, with a recurring theme being the importance of community. “Economy can be seen as collaboration, an act of solidarity and togetherness to create life,” said Ronay Gündüz, an economics student from Turkey attending her first Degrowth Conference. The urgency of community-led decision-making and creating new spaces to discuss economic policies resonated throughout the sessions — particularly the recognition that alternative economic systems need not be Eurocentric. “Bereket is an ancient Turkish word meaning sustainability; it does not need to be westernized to have value. This traditional knowledge is something the economy needs to embrace,” shared Cenk Ceylan, also from Turkey.
Climate change, climate finance, and climate mitigation were also central topics, especially regarding the impact on younger generations. “Decisions on the climate crisis were made before our time, and they are still prevailing. Youth itself is part of the solution,” said Ishar Mayor, a student from India based in the Netherlands.
On the final day, it was announced that the next edition of the conference will take place in Beijing, China, in 2027.
It was a pleasure to attend; ECOnGOOD established many new contacts, learned from diverse perspectives, and is even more convinced that the Economy for the Common Good has an important role to play in creating an economy that truly serves people and the planet.
For more information: https://degrowth.info/de/conferences
