Betterbeing Economy

This article is published in number 4 of Vanity Fair on newsstands until January 26, 2021

They called it Betterbeing Economy, it is a new economic paradigm that aims to ensure that the economy, the market and, in general, spending money are not in contrast with the idea of ​​a sustainable life, in harmony with others and with civil liability. Consumption can really have no impact on the environment, it can create virtuous circles and not just avalanches of waste and garbage.

«We are the creators of this concept, focused first of all on the improvement of the individual. It is not a utopian new age idea, but it is something concrete, a reality already possible “, proudly says Ivan Mazzoleni, CEO of Flowe, a benefit company that, while making a profit, is committed to producing an important social impact:” We invented this e-money institution, an app that really wants to help people be more aware of their resources. We propose ourselves as brand activists, that is, we want to take a position both towards the community, fighting the monster of pollution, and towards individuals, who increasingly falter in the face of the threat of unemployment ”.

Nice concepts and good intentions, but how do you do it in practice?
«Flowe is a platform, an ecosystem, which gives gentle pushes, the famous gentle nudges of Richard H. Thaler’s behavioral economics: no imposition, but positive supports and suggestions, which can however make a difference. So, for example, we help people save to achieve their loved ones. The mechanism is simple: I define the purpose (a trip, membership in a gym …) and the system will automatically calculate how much money it takes and make an action plan, indicating how much money I will have to put away every day for how long and he can set them aside for me automatically. By achieving their goals, people will be more satisfied and therefore happier. By creating better people, we create a better world ».

You spoke of a fight against pollution, but how do you do it?
“Thanks to a partnership with Doconomy, we use a tool that allows us to calculate the carbon footprint of digital payments, in other words we try to understand how much our economic transactions affect the production of CO2, in order not only to raise awareness of their actions. , but then going to intervene practically. We have in fact activated a collaboration with ZeroCO2, an Italian start-up that deals with planting as many trees as necessary to eliminate our impact on the environment. Obviously, trees are not planted at random, but even on this the project is more composite: we focused on the Petén area in Guatemala, where we give fruit plants to small villages, to which we also teach agriculture lessons, then helping them to start an economic and commercial activity “.

The theme of work is also very close to your heart …
«For us it is of primary importance. On Flowe there are some edutainment video courses, which act as a stimulus for one’s own improvement: we speak of Ikigai, our guiding concept, a Japanese expression that indicates the reason for living; we talk about healthy nutrition, an active lifestyle and opportunity. Then there are more practical sessions to help those with good ideas to turn them into real productive start-ups. The idea is to be stimulators: for each course purchased, one will be given to those who have lost their jobs and need new training. We then support young companies, to make them grow and make them known: we don’t do venture capital, but we make them work, believing in them ».

And the name, Flowe, what does it mean?
«The term flow,“ flow ”in Italian, was introduced in psychology by the Polish Mihály Csíkszentmihályi to describe that mental state of concentration achieved by a person intent on a task that gratifies him. To this we wanted to add the “we”, to indicate that together we can always do better ».

By entering the Flowe ecosystem, various start-ups are supported, “all committed to creating a better world”: here are some in the gallery.

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