Whole Foods Market cofounder John Mackey and professor Conscious Capitalism, Inc. cofounder Raj Sisodia argue for the inherent good of both business and capitalism. Featuring some of today’s best-known and most successful companies, they illustrate how these two forces can – and do – work most powerfully to create value for all stakeholders, including customers, employees, suppliers, investors, society, and the environment.

Conscious Capitalism helps us better understand how companies such as Southwest Airlines, Costco, UPS, Panera, Patagonia, Google, The Container Store, and many others use four specific tenets – higher purpose, stakeholder integration, conscious leadership, and conscious culture and management – to build strong businesses, advance capitalism toward its highest potential, and foster a more favorable environment for all of us.

In 2010, conscious capitalism became a movement. In short, the idea behind conscious capitalism is that capitalism, in and of itself, must change if it is to prevail as an economic system. It argues that prioritizing the interests of shareholders above all other stakeholders can no longer work. It demands that corporations use their resources more wisely. It requires that all stakeholders be genuinely considered in decision-making.

We believe that business is good…

Because it creates value, it is ethical because it is based on voluntary exchange, it is noble because it can elevate our existence, and it is heroic because it lifts people out of poverty and creates prosperity. Free enterprise capitalism is the most potent social cooperation and human progress system. It is one of the most compelling ideas we humans have ever had. And we can aspire to even more.