Malta Business Review WORLD FOOD CRISIS Swedish multi awarded pioneer company Plantagon invites everyone to join them in fighting the world food crisis. Say Hi to (the definition of) Inclusive Capitalism. By Anna Karlsson The Swedish pioneer in urban agriculture and food tech, Plantagon International, is launching an international recruiting campaign to recruit like-minded allies throughout the world to help achieve the common goal of solving the world food crisis. While doing so, Plantagon aims at changing the current business paradigm by creating a more responsible and inclusive economy through democratizing and sharing of its power and profits. Plantagon’s governance model, called the Companization*, has attained global interest and recognition for its innovative hybrid model containing both a for-profit and a non-profit organization. The Swedish pioneer in urban agriculture and food tech, Plantagon International, is launching an international recruiting campaign to recruit like-minded allies throughout the world to help achieve the common goal of solving the world food crisis. While doing so, Plantagon aims at changing the current business paradigm by creating a more responsible and inclusive economy through democratizing and sharing of its power and profits. Plantagon’s governance model, called the Companization*, has attained global interest and recognition for its innovative hybrid model containing both a for-profit and a non-profit organization. The problem Plantagon has set out to solve is the world food crisis. Recent estimates suggest that by 2050 up to 80% of the world’s population will reside in cities[1]. By then, the world’s population is projected to almost reach 10 billion[2]. If current farming practices and consumption patterns continue, the Earth’s arable land will soon not be sufficient to produce enough food for the growing population. To address this, Plantagon has developed solutions for large-scale food production in cities; most prominently, vertical space-efficient greenhouses or ‘plantscrapers’ for the urban environment that will deliver locally grown organic food directly to the consumer. To achieve the platscrapers, Plantagon’s hybrid model needs to charge up with help of the power of the many. Plantagon needs likeminded people all over the world who share the belief that a value change is needed for survival and that the current focus on shortterm profit has to stop. That cause beats profit. People from all over the world who wants to join this work are invited to become allies of Plantagon International and a part of the Companization. Through their “allyship” in the non-profit association they will play a crucial part in Plantagon International’s first landmark project, The World Food Building, a 60-meter vertical greenhouse and office building in Linköping, Sweden. The project is the first of its kind and will produce 500 metric tons of food annually, saving 1000 metric tons of CO2 emissions and 50 million liters of water compared to regular farming. In addition to that, at least 50% of the energy consumption of the production will be reused in the building. “We are reaching out to people everywhere that feel that commercial organisations should also be the driving force of change. People are sick and tired of businesses being shortsighted and just-for-profit driven. We believe it’s time for this to change, the time for ‘business as usual’ is over. With potentially 100 000 allies all over the world supporting Plantagon we will show that the power of the crowd gets the job done,” says Hans Hassle, Plantagon’s Co-founder and Secretary- General. For more information about Plantagon’s governance model and how to join Plantagon as an ally, please go to www.plantagon.org/ membership/. LANDMARK PROJECT: THE WORLD FOOD BUILDING Creating a solid base of allies within the Companization will support Plantagon’s up scaling of business internationally and help to accelerate Plantagon’s landmark project, a 60-meter vertical farm named The World Food Building in Linköping, Sweden. The building’s interior will be shared between a 16-storey office space and a food production line built on Plantagon’s patented technology; producing food in a closed, clean and climate controlled environment. The World Food Building will serve as an international model plant to present the methods, symbiotic systems and technologies developed by Plantagon and its partners to enable large cities around the world to help produce their own food through vertical industrial urban farming. The building will produce 500 metric tonnes of food annually, saving 1000 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions and 50 million litres of water. At least 50% of the energy consumption for the food production will be recovered as floor heat in the office building through smart energy systems and heat storage. To cap off the symbiosis between flora and fauna, the CO2 emitted by the office workers will be transferred into the greenhouse, and vice versa. The building was recently awarded The International Architecture Awards 2016 by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies. Plantagon has also been recognized by Red Herring as being one the 100 most innovative companies in the world. THE COMPANIZATION Plantagon’s governance model is built on an advanced CSR-approach that shapes what the company stands for and how it can act. The objective is to democratise the share holding company by taking away anonymous ownership that only focuses on maximising profit. This model is recognised as Companization, a hybrid between a for-profit company and an association open for all. Plantation calls this “a value change needed for survival”. By using this model, Plantagon is giving away both money and power to the Allies and members, since the Association owns 10% and has the power to appoint half of the board in the share holding company. Credit: Manifest Stockholm About Plantagon Plantagon International is a worldleading pioneer within the field food security and CSR – combining urban agriculture, innovative technical solutions and architecture – to meet the demand for efficient food production within cities; adding a more democratic and inclusive governance model. Plantagon has been recognized by Red Herring as being one the 100 most innovative companies in the world. <strong>MBR</strong> 44
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