Climate Change – Issue 45, February 2020

Tharawat Magazine Issue 45
Tharawat Magazine Issue 45

That our climate is changing, catalysed at least in part by our consumption of fossil fuels, our agricultural practices and the broader disruption of our planet’s delicate and infinitely complex ecology, is an incontrovertible fact. The question mark that some place beside the term has been made redundant. That said, arguments around climate change still abound.

From a family business perspective, the most pressing questions are: what can we do to mitigate the potentially catastrophic implications of climate change? How can we ensure multigenerational sustainability in such an unstable landscape?

Our Special Feature on Climate Change shows that answers to these questions, while unique to every industry, geography and family, are intrinsically linked. Family businesses all over the world are realising that climate change necessitates changing business practices.

In this issue, we have family business stories and contributions from Australia, Sweden, Canada, the USA, the UK, Morocco, Sri Lanka, Chile, Switzerland and more, as well as an examination of the possible impact of mental illness on your family and business.

Special Features: Climate Change

We might see the effects of climate change on the shelves of our fridges and pantries before we feel a change in temperature. According to Sylvain Charlebois, Professor at Dalhousie University, family businesses in the food industry – including smallholders,...
By leading the push towards environmental sustainability in Sri Lanka's world-renowned tea industry, Eswaran Brothers Exports, a third-generation family business with over five decades of history, are showing their commitment to the future. Their initiative to pursue carbon neutral accreditation,...
Climate change will touch every economy and every person on the planet. That said, some will feel the impact before others. The world's largest insurance companies are already taking into account the effects of climate change-related extreme weather and are...
Air travel has consistently been singled out as one of the biggest culprits in terms of global carbon emissions, so the notion of an environmentally friendly airline may seem like an oxymoron. Greg McDougall, CEO of Harbour Air, a...
Across industries and geographies, businesses are changing in an effort to mitigate climate change. Their innovations are altering their respective fields – proof that climate change, dire as predictions are around its implications, is actionable. Furthermore, in a strictly...
Despite affecting some of us sooner and more keenly than others, the impact of climate change will be felt universally. As such, the responsibility of counteracting its progress is not just the sole domain of scientists, NGOs or government...

Mental Illness

Despite the stigma attached to it, mental illness is part of the human condition. According to the World Health Organization, approximately one in seven people have a mental health or substance abuse disorder – about 15 per cent of...
The saying goes, success breeds success, but what else can it bring? According to Jan Gerber, Chairman of Paracelsus Recovery in Zurich, our infatuation with success can be problematic. Often, it means we overlook the other aspects of life in...
Not only is Ken Kaye a specialist in the field of conflict resolution, but he was also one of the first to examine the complex interpersonal dynamics that define family businesses. When he began specialising his practice in the...
Toronto restaurateur Jeffrey Markus is compelled to pursue entrepreneurship despite the toll it has taken on his mental health. Markus started at his father's international casino business in his teens. The pressure he placed on himself to succeed brought about...

Features

For Hästens, manufacturers of superior-quality beds that can last centuries, multigenerational sustainability is a combination of cutting-edge innovation and timeless tradition. Now in its sixth generation, Hästens has adapted considerably since 1852, embracing technology while staying true to their...
Cecily McGuckin was no stranger to the family business, Queensland Steel and Sheet (QSS), when she joined. As such, she was well aware that the task ahead of her would be arduous. After her father Barry Hunt formed the business...

Entrepreneurs

A secluded oasis in close proximity to the ancient city of Fes, La Maison Bleue offers authentic Moroccan luxury to travellers from around the world. Constructed in 1915 by Sidi Mohammed El Abbadi, a prolific judge and astrologer, the...
Prioritising familial closeness to the same level as growth and prosperity in business has seen the Arrigoni Group thrive over three generations. Arrigoni began as the entrepreneurial project of three brothers who emigrated from Italy in 1953, bringing their advanced...

Also in this Issue

Family businesses can potentially leverage the capital generated by initial public offerings (IPOs) for expansion. For smaller firms, an initial public offering is often the next step towards growth and the ability to increase operational capacity. Even the world's largest companies...
The opposable thumb is an indispensable result of human evolution. Though its migration down the side of the palm likely took millennia, the thumb completely transformed our ability to interact with the physical world – and most probably our...