Plantagon was awarded the prestigious “Innovator Idol” prize at the Globe Forum in Stockholm in June of 2009 among thousands of competitors from 36 countries. Globe Forum is one of the world`s leading events devoted to innovation and sustainability and was also held in Gdansk 28-29 October.
Time for microfinancing in large corporations
Hans Hassle is most experienced in management and marketing and has developed a new company form, called companization, a junction between company and a non-profit organization – open for all.
- We invite everyone to become stakeholders in Plantagon International AB by giving out 10% of our shares to Plantagon Non-Profit Association that is open for everyone. The 10% ownership also gives the association the right to elect half the company board. The only cost for the members is the annual membership fee of EUR 10, still they will share the profit whenever Plantagon International AB is sold. This means we will involve thousands of advocates for our cause and for our business – as long as we deliver what we promised.
- We have to realize that it cannot, and will not, be possible to maintain maximum profit as a single reason for a company to exist. Environmental, social and also political reasons will prevent that to continue. But most important of all: consumers and employees will put an end to it.
- Right now there is an open window for brands and corporations inviting people to become “citizens” and allies of what we are doing, not only being downgraded to consumers. We believe the future is microfinancing, “crowdfinancing” and involvement by many people that share a common interest and actually want to help the company to become successful.
- This may be the first time in the business sector that social responsibility,transparency and sharing are demonstrably valued at the same level as financial engagement. This may be the first opportunity to influence a large company from the inside without being an employee, a manager or an investor, but by being socially engaged in supporting its mission. This may be the first company to show that sharing rather than greed leads to financial success in the future.
- Companies like ours could never go on the stock market as that would surely destroy our brand.
North American Indians as owners
As a result of this thinking and to secure the knowledge of sustainable decision making, Hans came to a cooperation with one of the oldest democratic system still in function; the Iroquois Confederacy in North America. Together with their administrative center and the people of Onondaga Nation consisting of with the north American Indian people of Onondaga Nations he founded the Swedish company Plantagon International AB working with solutions for how to grow food inside cities and deliver directly to consumers without transportation.
-The unique privilege to work together with Onondaga Nations, a system based on a thousand year long democratic tradition, helps us understand how to combine action oriented business thinking with what is right for the Seventh Generation to come.
Chairman of the Board for Plantagon is the internationally highly recognized Chief Oren Lyons, as many seen as the most influential indigenous leader of North America of his generation:
- Within just a few decades, some 80 percent of the world’s population will live in cities.This will necessitate the need to grow fruits and vegetables in an urban environment, due to the lack of land.
- In response to this challenge we present the Plantagon Greenhouse, a
vertical space-efficient greenhouse for urban environment. The Plantagon Greenhouse will change the way we produce food, cut transportations and offer better food at better prices. To the North American Indian Nations this is a business that we prefer to casinos and selling tobacco.
- It is a historic event that we for the first time choose to use a foreign company to achieve our cultural goals. It is good example of the trust built on the relations between Onondaga Nation and Sweden.
For more information, please contact:
Isabelle Hernandez, Media Relations Manager at Plantagon International AB
Ph + 46 733 14 44 45
email: isabelle.hernandez@plantagon.org
