Breaking free from the efficiency trap

Growth is outpacing progress

Efficiency gains are real — we’re using fewer resources to create the same outputs. But as economies grow, these hard-earned reductions are often offset by increased production. For instance, the G20’s modest 3.1% projected growth in 2024 could double the global economy by 2047. Reaching net zero by 2050 would then require balancing twice today’s production. It’s a race we’re struggling to win.

The limits of doing more with less

While the world has become better at doing more with less, it’s not enough to solve the problem. Absolute reductions in resource use and emissions — not just efficiency improvements — are critical to staying within the planet’s limits. But there’s no evidence of decoupling economic growth from environmental harm at the necessary scale. Alarmingly, society has used more natural resources in the past six years than in the entire 20th century. Growth, it seems, is eating our gains.

Rethinking growth: beyond blind optimism

So, what’s next? Blind faith in technology or the circular economy isn’t the answer. While innovations in carbon capture and recycling offer potential, they’re far from flawless. Global material reuse has fallen to just 7.2%, and even a perfect circular economy cannot sustain infinite growth on a finite planet. This harsh reality challenges the foundations of the growth-dependent systems — from GDP-focused goals to debt-based finance. Movements like Doughnut Economics and Degrowth are reframing progress, prioritising ecological and human well-being over traditional growth metrics.

The question isn’t how to grow, but how to thrive within the planet’s limits.

The design opportunity: A new mental model for business

Navigating the challenges of a finite planet requires a mindset shift: from infinite resources to planetary boundaries, from private abundance to public abundance, and from excess to sufficiency. Reimagining value involves:

• Redefining value: Focusing on social equity, community needs, and well-being over profits.
• Reevaluating when value is captured: Embracing stewardship and circularity, prioritising long-term impact.
• Redistributing value: Moving from financial extraction to circulating wealth within communities.

This paradigm challenges the growth narrative, advocating sustainable well-being, equity, and environmental health over GDP or revenue as the ultimate goals.

Will you help shape this future — or wait for it to arrive?

Designing for post-growth

Redefining success means building resilience, loyalty, and purpose-driven impact. Here’s how design can lead the way:

• Organisational design: Align structures and goals with post-growth principles.

• Business model design: Innovate models, from repair services (Finisterre’s Lived & Loved) to sharing platforms (Library of Things).

• Product design: Develop modular, repairable, and emotionally durable products like Tretorn’s Sea Level Boot.

• Behavioural design: Encourage sustainable habits with nudges like Palau’s Pledge or Deutsche Bahn’s No Need to Fly campaign.

• Communications Design: Create narratives that inspire, like Google’s Your Plan, Your Planet or La Vie’s purpose-driven branding.

A new theory of change

This isn’t about patchwork fixes but steering the socio-economic system in a new direction. Businesses that lead this change can build resilience, deepen customer loyalty, attract purpose-driven employees, and make lasting impact.