This paper presents the concept of “the cuvee organisation” that emerged as a result of a 2016 participatory backcasting research. Backcasting belongs to the family of normative scenario building exercises that envision futures of social establishments. Its novelty lies in the fact that rather than using the current state of affairs as a starting point in envisioning potential futures, it creates the normative vision of an ideal future and works its way back to the presence as to what actions could lead towards that desired state. Backcasting works well in an environment with an uncertain future and heterogeneous systems where the foreseeable trends lead to unacceptable outcomes. This method provides a ‘structural affinity’ to sustainability topics and incorporates the transdisciplinary Degrowth research demand. The aim of this particular research was to facilitate participants from the business, civil and economic sector to envision the traits and the operational environment of sustainable and responsible economic actors of the future in 2050. From the vision they created the concept of “the cuvee organisation” emerged that contains the traits of current for-profit and non-profit economic organisations to varying degrees. Just like the cuvee wine behind the metaphor, this combination creates a better outcome than its single-handed components. We aim to depict how the “cuvee organisation” arranges itself around social issues; how it works in complex and interdependent networks; how it treats extra income; and how it relates to its environment and stakeholders. The presentation will also reflect on the extent this concept may support the transition to a Degrowth society.

This media entry was a contribution to the special session „Back from a Degrowth future? Emergence of the “cuvee organisation” in a backcasting research“ at the 5th International Degrowth Conference in Budapest in 2016.