0:00:11.667,0:00:14.001
Let me start by asking you a question.

0:00:14.583,0:00:18.731
Imagine you decided to buy a new T-shirt

0:00:18.732,0:00:21.737
so you drive to your favorite shop,

0:00:21.738,0:00:23.524
you look at the choice they offer,

0:00:23.525,0:00:25.998
and you narrow it down to two T-shirts

0:00:25.999,0:00:28.298
that you find more or less equally cool.

0:00:28.299,0:00:30.247
You hold them in your hands,

0:00:30.248,0:00:32.610
and you know that one of them[br]comes from a company

0:00:32.610,0:00:37.674
that is known for very decent[br]working conditions in the production.

0:00:37.675,0:00:40.698
No child labor, fair wages.

0:00:40.699,0:00:44.380
You know it doesn't include[br]toxic chemicals for the coloring,

0:00:44.381,0:00:47.055
and it's made with organic cotton.

0:00:47.056,0:00:48.797
The T-shirt in the other hand,

0:00:48.798,0:00:52.126
as you remember[br]from the media, a week before,

0:00:52.127,0:00:53.778
comes from a brand quite notorious

0:00:53.779,0:00:56.086
for so-called "sweat shop"[br]working conditions.

0:00:56.087,0:00:57.876
So, maybe child labor,

0:00:57.877,0:00:59.746
certainly, no fair wages,

0:00:59.747,0:01:03.304
full of toxic chemicals, and not organic.

0:01:04.529,0:01:08.130
As I told you, you like them[br]more or less the same.

0:01:08.131,0:01:11.249
Who of you would, in that situation,

0:01:11.250,0:01:13.186
pick the more responsible T-shirt?

0:01:13.187,0:01:15.236
Please raise your hand.

0:01:18.027,0:01:19.228
OK.

0:01:21.218,0:01:22.628
That's a majority.

0:01:23.688,0:01:28.139
Now think about the last time[br]you bought a T-shirt.

0:01:29.352,0:01:31.605
Did you take into consideration

0:01:31.606,0:01:36.256
the social and environmental aspects[br]of your decision?

0:01:36.257,0:01:38.639
Did you think about

0:01:38.640,0:01:42.604
the social and environmental performance[br]of the brands behind the T-shirt?

0:01:43.113,0:01:46.678
Or the last time you bought[br]a computer, or a smartphone?

0:01:47.186,0:01:50.274
Did you check for[br]the human rights conditions

0:01:50.287,0:01:52.730
in the production of these products?

0:01:54.792,0:01:56.209
Probably not.

0:01:58.884,0:02:03.813
What you have here is[br]the so-called "intention-behavior gap."

0:02:05.093,0:02:07.362
We have all the best intentions,

0:02:07.363,0:02:10.458
but when it comes[br]to the real decision making,

0:02:11.396,0:02:12.957
we forget about it,

0:02:12.958,0:02:17.737
or we have many reasons[br]why in that moment we cannot do it.

0:02:17.738,0:02:19.247
What drives that gap?

0:02:19.248,0:02:20.660
So why does it exist?

0:02:20.661,0:02:23.751
Why do we so often fail[br]to do what we intend to do

0:02:23.752,0:02:25.621
when it comes to sustainability?

0:02:26.677,0:02:29.748
You might think[br]it has to do with information.

0:02:31.129,0:02:34.083
So if we just would know[br]about all these things,

0:02:34.084,0:02:36.293
then we would make better decisions,

0:02:36.294,0:02:40.228
more informed, more responsible[br]decisions as consumers.

0:02:41.263,0:02:44.121
Think about April 2013,

0:02:45.247,0:02:49.096
when this garment factory[br]collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

0:02:49.781,0:02:52.355
You have seen these pictures on the news.

0:02:52.832,0:02:55.831
You might even recall[br]some of the brand names.

0:02:56.195,0:02:57.756
Brands being produced there.

0:02:57.757,0:03:01.046
You might even have bought[br]these brands before or afterwards.

0:03:01.589,0:03:03.458
One year earlier,

0:03:03.459,0:03:08.210
you certainly heard of the story[br]about the workers at Foxconn,

0:03:08.214,0:03:12.026
the factory producing[br]smartphones and computers,

0:03:12.027,0:03:14.096
jumping from the roofs of the factory

0:03:14.097,0:03:17.565
because of the desperation[br]for their working conditions.

0:03:18.825,0:03:22.111
You all know that you might be[br]the last generation eating tuna fish.

0:03:22.959,0:03:26.209
You have heard all these stories[br]about child labor and slave labor

0:03:26.210,0:03:31.334
in chocolate, in sugar, in gold,[br]in coltan, you name it.

0:03:32.706,0:03:34.870
If you've never heard[br]about all these things,

0:03:34.871,0:03:37.618
you've probably spent[br]the last 20 years on an island,

0:03:37.619,0:03:39.399
like Robinson Crusoe.

0:03:39.417,0:03:43.858
So information is not the problem.[br]Information is not the problem.

0:03:43.859,0:03:46.648
We are very good in shifting[br]the blame somewhere else

0:03:46.667,0:03:50.666
and rationalising[br]our own unsustainable decisions.

0:03:50.667,0:03:57.251
We shift the blame on the corporations.[br]We say it's about production problems.

0:03:57.251,0:03:59.695
So we frame it[br]as a problem of production.

0:03:59.696,0:04:02.347
We ask corporations[br]to change their behavior.

0:04:02.348,0:04:04.469
There's some truth in that as well,

0:04:04.470,0:04:06.254
but that's only part of the story

0:04:06.255,0:04:09.678
because basically,[br]the sustainability problems

0:04:09.679,0:04:13.770
that we face today[br]are problems of our way of life.

0:04:15.227,0:04:16.750
We want more stuff,

0:04:16.750,0:04:20.834
at an ever higher speed[br]and an ever lower price.

0:04:21.382,0:04:23.103
So we are part of the problem.

0:04:23.104,0:04:27.446
It's not just about improving[br]the current production conditions,

0:04:27.447,0:04:30.895
it's also about changing[br]the culture of consumption.

0:04:31.918,0:04:33.784
So it's not about information.

0:04:34.334,0:04:38.960
What is it that explains this gap[br]between intentions and behavior?

0:04:40.454,0:04:43.835
Most of the time, when we make[br]decisions as consumers,

0:04:43.836,0:04:48.541
we do so in an automatic way,[br]we cruise on auto-pilot.

0:04:48.542,0:04:52.293
We act without thinking.[br]It's just routine decisions.

0:04:52.324,0:04:56.792
It's deeply embedded,[br]taken-for-granted habits

0:04:56.793,0:04:58.861
that drive our behavior.

0:04:58.862,0:05:01.063
Just think about the last time

0:05:01.064,0:05:05.105
you tried not to check emails[br]on your smartphone.

0:05:05.817,0:05:07.393
You probably failed.

0:05:08.474,0:05:11.158
Habits can be stronger than reason.

0:05:11.877,0:05:15.603
So if you want to make[br]consumption more sustainable,

0:05:15.604,0:05:18.494
we have to reprogram habits.

0:05:19.113,0:05:21.502
You must imagine a habit like an iceberg.

0:05:21.503,0:05:25.018
What you can see on the surface[br]is the behavior.

0:05:25.667,0:05:30.320
What you cannot see under the water[br]are the values and beliefs

0:05:30.321,0:05:33.194
that drive that behavior.

0:05:34.375,0:05:37.126
So if you want to change someone's habit,

0:05:37.162,0:05:38.289
which is not easy,

0:05:38.290,0:05:42.220
you can either[br]directly target the behavior,

0:05:42.221,0:05:46.263
let's assume we would try[br]to get rid of the habit of smoking,

0:05:46.264,0:05:50.294
so we can we make it illegal[br]to smoke in public places.

0:05:50.919,0:05:53.474
You directly target the behavior.

0:05:53.475,0:05:58.417
Or you can target the values[br]and beliefs under the water

0:05:58.418,0:06:01.245
that drive the behavior[br]in the first place,

0:06:01.247,0:06:02.958
which is much more difficult,

0:06:02.959,0:06:06.300
but which creates much profounder changes.

0:06:07.723,0:06:11.779
How do we normally speak[br]to these values and beliefs?

0:06:11.780,0:06:16.655
We speak to these values and beliefs[br]in our society through stories.

0:06:18.235,0:06:24.218
Stories shape, and reinforce,[br]and break habits.

0:06:24.959,0:06:29.751
Just think about[br]how children love fairy-tales,

0:06:30.312,0:06:34.024
how we transport values[br]and beliefs through fairy-tales.

0:06:34.288,0:06:38.380
Think about how the old[br]ancient Greek and Roman societies

0:06:38.381,0:06:41.630
were guided by strong mythologies,

0:06:42.353,0:06:46.746
highly complex stories that guided[br]the behavior of people in everyday life.

0:06:48.100,0:06:51.539
If you want to stop smoking,[br]for instance, to go back to that story,

0:06:51.540,0:06:54.272
you can either make it illegal[br]in public places,

0:06:54.273,0:06:57.740
or you can reprogram[br]the beliefs and values

0:06:57.750,0:07:00.167
that drive that behavior.

0:07:00.915,0:07:04.785
The tobacco industry is very good[br]in creating these stories.

0:07:04.786,0:07:06.367
For teenagers, they create

0:07:06.368,0:07:10.337
a story of coolness,[br]and risk, and adulthood.

0:07:10.338,0:07:12.054
That's exactly what teenagers want.

0:07:12.055,0:07:15.628
So they will smoke[br]as long as they believe it's cool,

0:07:15.629,0:07:18.109
and it's promoting their growing up.

0:07:18.110,0:07:23.508
For women, they used the story[br]of emancipation and sexiness.

0:07:24.129,0:07:25.678
For poor people in Africa,

0:07:25.679,0:07:28.988
they used the story[br]of the European prosperity,

0:07:28.989,0:07:32.724
"You can reach it a little bit[br]if you start smoking."

0:07:32.725,0:07:35.638
So if you want to change a habit,

0:07:35.645,0:07:39.244
you have to find stories[br]that are stronger and more powerful

0:07:39.245,0:07:42.140
than the stories that drive[br]the behavior in the first place.

0:07:42.141,0:07:45.895
The problem[br]of the sustainability movement

0:07:45.896,0:07:49.086
is that it has no stories to tell,

0:07:49.745,0:07:54.321
no stories that are powerful enough[br]to break the power of the story

0:07:54.322,0:07:57.336
that drives our consumption[br]in the first place.

0:07:57.337,0:07:58.908
What is that story about?

0:07:58.909,0:08:04.159
This is basically the story[br]of the 20th century consumer society.

0:08:05.725,0:08:09.790
It is a story that grew over decades[br]and became stronger and stronger.

0:08:09.791,0:08:14.204
It starts with the positive[br]outlook on the future.

0:08:14.205,0:08:17.032
We believe in a bright future.

0:08:17.033,0:08:19.164
We believe that technology leads us there.

0:08:19.165,0:08:21.032
We put a man on the Moon.

0:08:21.892,0:08:25.733
Technology will make[br]our production system ever more efficient,

0:08:25.734,0:08:30.051
so we can produce more stuff[br]at higher speed and lower costs.

0:08:30.459,0:08:36.082
We buy that stuff because by buying[br]stuff we become someone,

0:08:36.082,0:08:41.207
we belong somewhere,[br]we increase our happiness.

0:08:41.219,0:08:43.710
So the story that drives our behavior

0:08:43.711,0:08:47.709
is the story that makes a link[br]between technological progress,

0:08:48.911,0:08:53.288
economic efficiency, growth,[br]consumption, and happiness.

0:08:53.731,0:08:57.651
And you feel the happiness[br]in the immediate gratification,

0:08:57.661,0:09:00.841
when you bought[br]the T-shirt, for instance.

0:09:01.959,0:09:03.958
In recent years,

0:09:03.959,0:09:07.460
this story has received[br]a bit of competition.

0:09:07.479,0:09:09.934
There's another story going around,

0:09:09.935,0:09:13.893
and this is basically the story[br]about the side effects of the first story.

0:09:13.894,0:09:16.394
We learn that when we consume more,

0:09:18.601,0:09:22.257
we can increase our happiness[br]only to a certain degree,

0:09:22.258,0:09:23.834
then it falls down.

0:09:24.546,0:09:26.604
It's a U-shape; a negative[br]U-shape, a curve.

0:09:26.724,0:09:28.668
negative U shape, a curve.

0:09:28.709,0:09:33.834
We smoke, we get cancer.[br]We eat, we get diabetes.

0:09:34.647,0:09:39.616
We buy stuff all the time,[br]we feel empty and get depressed.

0:09:39.617,0:09:41.767
On the level of society we learn

0:09:41.780,0:09:44.936
all these consumption decisions aggregate

0:09:44.937,0:09:47.271
in large scale environmental problems.

0:09:47.834,0:09:51.543
The forest disappears,[br]the ice is melting,

0:09:51.572,0:09:55.694
and in a few decades,[br]probably Manhattan will be under water.

0:09:55.695,0:09:59.785
There will be more migration,[br]more poverty, more wars, less water.

0:09:59.786,0:10:05.410
This is actually[br]the post-vision of the future.

0:10:05.417,0:10:10.376
It's an apocalyptic future.[br]It's a future that is dystopian.

0:10:10.730,0:10:13.551
It's a story about[br]the collapse of the planet.

0:10:15.174,0:10:16.781
So you have these two stories,

0:10:16.782,0:10:19.235
the utopian story about your happiness,

0:10:19.236,0:10:22.954
and the dystopian story[br]about the end of the world.

0:10:22.955,0:10:25.350
Next time you go in a shop[br]and buy a T-shirt,

0:10:25.351,0:10:28.295
you will hear two voices in your ear.

0:10:28.296,0:10:31.576
One voice will tell you,[br]"why don't you buy both?"

0:10:31.577,0:10:33.077
(Laughter)

0:10:33.078,0:10:34.933
"You double your happiness."

0:10:34.934,0:10:36.110
(Laughter)

0:10:36.111,0:10:39.900
But you might start to doubt[br]about the evidence of that.

0:10:40.756,0:10:42.722
So there's the other story,

0:10:43.308,0:10:45.581
"Do you really need a T-shirt?"

0:10:45.582,0:10:50.192
OK, if you need it, buy[br]the organic one. the fair one.

0:10:50.193,0:10:51.942
...and did you come by bus?

0:10:51.943,0:10:53.318
(Laughter)

0:10:53.319,0:10:56.043
Did you switch off the light[br]when you left your house?

0:10:57.010,0:11:00.652
If you did all these things,[br]you might save the planet.

0:11:01.829,0:11:04.755
Saving the planet[br]by switching off the light?

0:11:05.555,0:11:08.440
Two days ago,[br]I was walking through London,

0:11:08.441,0:11:10.557
and there was a printing shop,

0:11:10.578,0:11:13.323
which obviously used[br]some advanced green technology

0:11:13.324,0:11:15.269
because in their window,

0:11:15.270,0:11:18.560
they invited me to save[br]the planet with them.

0:11:19.430,0:11:23.777
I didn't know that this planet will be[br]saved by a printing shop in London.

0:11:23.778,0:11:27.498
And what I assume is[br]that these kind of stories

0:11:27.499,0:11:30.494
are just an insult[br]to our minds, to our intelligence.

0:11:30.495,0:11:31.884
We don't believe them.

0:11:31.885,0:11:35.533
We don't believe[br]this strange causal link

0:11:35.534,0:11:40.256
between our little decisions[br]and the apocalyptic future.

0:11:40.257,0:11:42.028
So these stories are not credible.

0:11:42.029,0:11:43.966
They don't speak to our minds.

0:11:43.967,0:11:49.822
If they come in the negative form,[br]we are doomed, the planet is lost.

0:11:51.491,0:11:53.351
They don't speak to our emotions,

0:11:53.352,0:11:57.843
because they appeal to fear,[br]they give us no hope.

0:11:57.844,0:12:01.383
But fear only drives behavior[br]when the threat is immediate.

0:12:02.616,0:12:06.403
Manhattan will be under water[br]when I will be dead,

0:12:06.404,0:12:07.931
and you as well.

0:12:08.944,0:12:10.797
So this doesn't drive my behavior.

0:12:10.798,0:12:12.653
This story is not strong enough

0:12:12.654,0:12:16.032
to break the power[br]of the immediate happiness

0:12:16.033,0:12:18.738
that I can get when I buy both T-shirts.

0:12:19.301,0:12:20.573
We need different stories.

0:12:20.574,0:12:23.619
We need stories that include ourselves.

0:12:23.620,0:12:28.143
There are stories about our happiness[br]connected to the well-being of the planet,

0:12:28.144,0:12:30.085
stories of our future,

0:12:30.086,0:12:33.096
in which we are the actors[br]who make the decisions

0:12:33.097,0:12:34.725
and feel the change.

0:12:35.695,0:12:37.035
This might be a bit abstract

0:12:37.036,0:12:40.292
so let me tell you a story[br]about such a story.

0:12:40.822,0:12:42.835
I don't know how you would feel

0:12:42.836,0:12:47.171
if you hear that in your neighbourhood[br]a new fast food restaurant is opening up.

0:12:47.716,0:12:49.848
You might not even care,

0:12:49.849,0:12:53.451
but this is a story about someone[br]who got really really angry

0:12:53.452,0:12:57.048
when he heard that MacDonald's[br]was opening a new restaurant

0:12:57.049,0:12:59.566
at the Spanish Steps in Rome;

0:12:59.567,0:13:04.598
the Spanish Steps in Rome, at the heart[br]of the cultural heritage of Italy -

0:13:05.460,0:13:10.481
fast food, the opposition[br]of what Italians are so proud of,

0:13:10.482,0:13:11.719
their food.

0:13:12.417,0:13:14.126
This guy was Carlo Pertini,

0:13:14.153,0:13:16.029
and he channeled his anger

0:13:16.040,0:13:18.979
by creating the slow food movement.

0:13:19.404,0:13:23.061
The slow food movement[br]basically, is a movement

0:13:23.062,0:13:25.264
that fights against this broad nexus

0:13:25.265,0:13:30.159
of industrialized,[br]mechanical food production

0:13:30.160,0:13:33.446
and mindless, unhealthy[br]food consumption,

0:13:33.459,0:13:36.293
from the Monsantos to the MacDonald's.

0:13:38.292,0:13:40.918
This movement was created[br]by Carlo Petrini

0:13:40.924,0:13:44.353
because he believes[br]that we have to change the way we eat.

0:13:45.501,0:13:50.141
We have to eat[br]local food, healthy food.

0:13:50.142,0:13:51.848
We have to produce locally.

0:13:51.849,0:13:55.702
We have to protect our biodiversity,[br]our cultural heritage.

0:13:55.703,0:13:58.149
We have to recreate the link that is lost

0:13:58.150,0:14:00.746
between the producer and the consumer.

0:14:00.747,0:14:05.559
We have to educate consumers[br]and producers to change their habits.

0:14:07.125,0:14:12.167
This story that started[br]as a little Italian episode

0:14:12.167,0:14:14.001
has become a huge global movement,

0:14:14.002,0:14:18.546
with more than 100,000 actors[br]in more than 150 countries.

0:14:19.795,0:14:22.278
Why is this story so powerful?

0:14:24.665,0:14:28.733
This story is so powerful[br]because we all can connect to it.

0:14:30.114,0:14:33.200
You have concerns[br]about the health of your children,

0:14:33.201,0:14:34.854
you can connect to it.

0:14:36.770,0:14:41.194
You hate the growing influence[br]of multinationals on the way we eat,

0:14:41.473,0:14:42.898
you can connect to it.

0:14:44.290,0:14:47.587
You are a promoter of local traditions,

0:14:48.159,0:14:49.686
you can connect to it.

0:14:51.322,0:14:53.820
You want to preserve biodiversity,

0:14:53.821,0:14:55.589
you can connect to it.

0:14:55.590,0:14:58.868
You want to help poor farmers[br]somewhere in Latin America

0:14:59.359,0:15:02.963
at the end of the supply chains[br]of our production system,

0:15:02.976,0:15:04.738
you can connect to that story.

0:15:04.739,0:15:07.441
We all can somehow connect to that story

0:15:07.442,0:15:12.104
through our own beliefs[br]and values in that very moment.

0:15:13.020,0:15:16.122
What started[br]as a very small Italian episode

0:15:17.083,0:15:20.208
has turned into a trans-cultural movement,

0:15:20.211,0:15:24.503
because it is a story[br]that speaks to everyone, potentially.

0:15:27.129,0:15:32.359
So, the next time you speak[br]with your children

0:15:32.360,0:15:36.408
about sustainability, ask yourself,[br]"What kind of story will I tell them?"

0:15:37.194,0:15:38.549
And keep in mind

0:15:38.550,0:15:42.445
it has to be a story about yourself,[br]and your children, and your future.

0:15:43.135,0:15:45.349
When you are a manager, ask yourself,

0:15:45.350,0:15:48.662
"How do I talk about sustainability[br]with my clients?"

0:15:49.962,0:15:51.833
You probably in the past talked about

0:15:51.834,0:15:54.513
the greatness of your engagement,

0:15:54.514,0:15:56.288
your wonderful products.

0:15:56.289,0:15:59.733
These are small stories[br]that will not change the world

0:15:59.734,0:16:02.440
You need a great story[br]to which many people can connect,

0:16:02.441,0:16:05.182
in many industries[br]and in many circumstances.

0:16:06.061,0:16:10.085
When you are a teacher, ask yourself,[br]"How can I inspire my students?"

0:16:10.918,0:16:16.293
As a journalist, your readers.[br]As a politician, your citizens.

0:16:17.392,0:16:20.344
Yes, we need more technology[br]and better technology

0:16:20.345,0:16:22.313
to improve the state of the world,

0:16:22.314,0:16:25.410
but what we have underestimated so far

0:16:25.818,0:16:29.120
is this amazing soft power[br]of storytelling.

0:16:29.125,0:16:33.412
We're telling the wrong stories,[br]and we have to change that.

0:16:33.413,0:16:34.673
Thank you.

0:16:34.674,0:16:36.190
(Applause)