ECOnGOOD Business Canvas– the tool for founding common good

The Economy for the Common Good movement has developed a tailor-made product for founders: the interactive ECOnGOOD Business Canvas. With this tool, companies and organisations can anchor their purpose and contribution to socio-ecological change in their business model right from the start.

The tool combines the model of the Economy for the Common Good (ECG) with the advantages of the well-known Business Model Canvas.

ECOnGOOD Business Canvas 3D illustration

Advantages and benefits

When founders develop their business model with the help of the ECOnGOOD Business Canvas, they focus right from the start on the impact they want to have internally, on the market and in society. This brings benefits on all levels.

  • Raising awareness of the “whole”
  • 360-degree sustainability management
  • Employee motivation
  • Attractive workplace
  • Organic, healthy growth

  • Appealing brand and employer
  • Interesting for “green-social” investors and financing
  • Attractive cooperation partner for suppliers and joint ventures
  • Appeals to conscious customers

  • Contribution to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (SDGs)
  • Increase in products and services that have a positive social impact
  • Gives back to the community
  • Reduction of ecological impact
  • Increase of social transparency and codetermination

Purpose as a starting point and contribution to a good life for everyone

The first step of the ECOnGOOD Business Canvas is to find the meaning behind the organisation to be founded. This is where the impact of the products and services stem from. Secondly, it is important to keep an eye on all the contact groups of the organisations:

  • Global community and nature
  • Customers and other organisations
  • Employees
  • Owners and financial partners
  • Suppliers

© Knut Burmeister_alltag.li

The start-up will subsequently work out per contact group how socio-ecological effects are maximised through the lense of the four ECG value pillars:

  • Human dignity
  • Solidarity and social justice
  • Environmental sustainability
  • Transparency and codetermination

This contributes to a good life for everyone while building a strong network of relationships between the startup and its stakeholders from the very beginning.

Founders in search of lived values

The ECOnGOOD Business Canvas is ideal for the “zebra” target group. The start-up world uses “zebras” to describe – in contrast to capital-focused “unicorns” – founders who rely on cooperation and co-creation and uphold organic growth as well as social and ecological goals.

In addition, the ECOnGOOD Business Canvas appeals to people who can no longer identify with the values ​​lived in their professional environment and who are therefore planning either to found a new organisation or to “reorganise” an existing organisation.

Co-creation and application possibilities

ECOnGOOD Business Canvas

The canvas can be used either in poster form or as an online board. Both variants promote co-creative and playful creation. The use of post-its supports visualization and enables iterative development.

The ECOnGOOD Business Canvas manual

The manual accompanies the founders in the application and guides them step by step through the entire creation of the canvas using key questions.

Note: This is an older version. The latest version is currently being translated.

Special consultancy services for founders

Special consulting services for founders

The canvas process can be carried out as an individual or in a team, independently or accompanied by ECOnGOOD consultants. The advantage of the support lies in their wealth of experience. Consultants support founders in broadening their perspective and looking at their start-up through the lens of the common good economy.

Future check for existing companies

In addition, the canvas appeals to people who want to reflect on and develop their organisation in a value-oriented manner. As part of a strategic transformation or reorganisation, a company succession or as an introduction to the elaboration of the Common Good Balance Sheet. Contact consultants@econgood.org.

Contact

Founders, organisations and start-up centers who are looking for inspiration or a workshop to create the ECOnGOOD Business Canvas should contact canvas@econgood.org.