Rethinking what we value
Published on 6 November 2026 at 05:07 GMT
By Lovisa Ralpher, WIN WIN Award
For decades, we have judged the health of our economies by a narrow set of numbers. Gross domestic product, quarterly earnings and shareholder value tell us how much is being produced and traded, and how capital is performing. What they rarely tell us is whether life is actually getting better. Nor do they make visible the value of a healthy biosphere and a liveable planet, the foundation on which every economy ultimately rests.
Today’s economic model took shape in a different era, when there were far fewer of us and the economy was a fraction of its current size. That world no longer exists. Many of the challenges we now face, from a changing climate to strained communities, are not simply side effects of an otherwise well-functioning system. They are shaped by what the system rewards.
Without the right rules and incentives, sustainable alternatives compete on uneven terms with actors who benefit from taking more than they give back: to nature, to human wellbeing, to future generations. Part of what makes this so persistent is structural. Short-term thinking is built into how capital is invested, how businesses are evaluated and how political decisions are made. Success is measured by what is easiest to count rather than by whether lives and ecosystems are actually thriving, and what pays off over time is systematically underpriced.
This is why the WIN WIN Award, an international sustainability award based in Gothenburg, Sweden, has chosen Re:economy as its theme for 2027, with the aim of exploring what an economic system for human wellbeing within the planetary boundaries could look like.
Changing what we measure will not transform the economy on its own, but it changes the questions we ask of it. Across the world, companies, investors, cities and communities are taking real steps towards an economy built around long-term value. Through Re:economy, WIN WIN wants to highlight those who show a concrete alternative way forward, and whose example can help others follow.
Written by a human author, edited with AI assistance.
Further information:
Nominations for WIN WIN Award and WIN WIN Youth Award 2027 are open until 10 January 2027 at https://www.winwinaward.org/theme-2027.
WIN WIN Award recognises established leaders and carries a prize of SEK 1 million, while WIN WIN Youth Award honours changemakers aged 13–29 with SEK 100,000. Nominating is free and open to anyone.
WIN WIN Award: The official Re:economy page confirms the 2027 theme, nomination deadline, prize amounts and youth age range.
WIN WIN Award: The FAQ confirms the Gothenburg base, award eligibility and free, open nominations.
OECD: Measuring well-being and progress explains the limits of GDP and the use of broader indicators.
OECD: Beyond Growth examines economic incentives, sustainability and the role of broader measures of progress.
