Brave New World: From Purpose to Progress (to Prosperity)

Daniel Neye () and Joachim Bongard ()

Chapter Chapter 13 in Brands in Times of Constant Change, 2026, pp 177-200 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Modern capitalism has created an almost paradoxical situation: while it has led to great prosperity in large parts of the (Western) world, it has also exacerbated environmental destruction and social inequalities. In light of the now undeniable global polycrises, the question arises whether the solution lies in a comprehensive reform of the Western economic system or whether entirely new approaches must be developed to save the world from collapse. And: What roles can and should brands play in this context? It is clear that brands, too, have two faces: on the one hand, they are deeply embedded in the logic of capitalist growth and stand for consumption and resource use. On the other hand, through their market and communication power, they also have the potential to drive forward sustainable economic models and anchor them in the societal mainstream. The answer to this question—and the sometimes controversial debate about brand purpose has shown this—also touches on the fundamental societal role of businesses as well as the political and ethical dimensions of economic activity in general. However, it quickly becomes apparent in this context that the fundamental tension between purpose and profit in brands can only be resolved through a balanced equilibrium between economic orientation and social responsibility.

Date: 2026
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-658-49899-3_13

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/9783658498993

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-658-49899-3_13

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Springer Books from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().