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The capitalist economic model is still built on a risky assumption: that endless growth is possible in a world with limited resources.
Even when described as ‘sustainable’, this approach often continues to drive patterns of extraction that harm the natural world.
The Japanese philosopher Saitō Kōhei challenges this way of thinking. Through his ecological reading of Marx, he argues that capitalism, including so-called ‘green’ capitalism, is not compatible with the planet’s limits.
His message is straightforward: we cannot protect life without rethinking how we produce, consume, and define what we mean by ‘wealth’.
Saitō Kōhei calls for a shift away from capitalism, towards a society based on degrowth and shared ecological resources.
At the same time, Almo Nature has chosen to act from within the current system. It donates 100% of its profits to the Fondazione Capellino, supporting biodiversity conservation and aiming to give back to nature what production takes from it. This approach is known as the Reintegration Economy.
These are two different paths, but they respond to the same urgent need: to move away from a model that damages life.
In this interview, Saitō Kōhei explores the key ideas behind his work and reflects on how we might imagine ways of living that respect the planet’s limits. It is an invitation to reconsider what ‘progress’ really means today.
Saitō Kōhei is a Japanese philosopher and scholar known for his ecological interpretation of Karl Marx’s work. His book Less! Degrowth is a Philosophy (2020) has sold more than 500,000 copies in Japan and has helped renew interest in Marxist thought in the context of the climate crisis. He was awarded the Deutscher Memorial Prize in 2018 and the JSPS Prize in 2020 for his contribution to Marxist research.