The Natural Step is in a unique and challenging position as a result of our work with corporations and our ultimate purpose of using these experiences to further the field of sustainability.

First, and most important, our goal in working inside large corporations is to generate path-breaking models and tools, to conduct rigorous monitoring and evaluation programs and to develop content that will be used beyond the walls of any one corporation, is open source and cannot be proprietary. Thus, in order to keep the work of The Natural Step independent and unbiased it is critical that we augment the fees received for this work with foundation and individual contributions.

Second, the companies we are engaged with are in the very earliest stages of thinking about sustainability and are taking significant risks. Most corporations today do not have sustainability budgets. It is the commitment of key individuals inside these companies who are influencing the process and bringing on partners like The Natural Step. Generally, they are expected to prove that sustainability initiatives positively affect the bottom line before significant resources are allocated to fund further work. Even then, when companies do agree to pay for direct services provided by The Natural Step, it never covers the true cost of the work.