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THE PRIMAL MANDATE™
Sustain the Conditions Required for Life on Earth - For All Spcies - Indefinitely.
Nature has followed this mandate for billions of years.
It is time for business to do the same.
We help leaders design companies that grow profitably while fulfilling the Primal Mandate™.
Why We Exist: The Primal Mandate™
Every living system — from a cell to an ecosystem to a civilization — is governed by one fundamental law:
Life must sustain the conditions that allow life to continue.
This is the Primal Mandate™.
But businesses today operate in:
- fragmented systems
- linear supply chains
- incoherent carbon strategies
- confused semantics
- 2D models that cannot manage 3D reality
This is why companies struggle with:
- supply chain fragility
- regulatory shock
- brand mistrust
- resource scarcity
- innovation stagnation
- rising operational risks
- climate-related instability
These are symptoms of violating the Primal Mandate™.
Circularity Edge helps leaders restore alignment to it.
The Frameworks That Operationalize the Primal Mandate™
To fulfill the Primal Mandate™, leaders need tools designed for living systems — not mechanistic, outdated models.
Circularity Edge provides five proprietary frameworks:
Design Like Nature™
Your operating model is redesigned according to the logic, patterns, and cyclicality of living systems.
The Tactical Tetrahedron™
A 3D model that exposes blind spots in linear thinking and reveals conditions for true coherence.
Vitacide Risk™
The risk that's created when business activities undermine life-support systems.
Carbon Coherence™
A new carbon grammar: putting carbon in the right form, in the right place, in the right quantity.
Life Cycle → Use Cycle™
We restore semantic precision:
Living things have life cycles.
Human-made products have use cycles.
This single shift changes everything.
These frameworks form the architecture of Primal Mandate™–aligned enterprises.
Who We Serve
We work with leaders responsible for shaping the future of their organizations:
- CEOs and founders
- C-suite executives
- Boards and governance committees
- Product and innovation leaders
- Sustainability and ESG teams
- Government agencies and universities
- NGOs and intergovernmental bodies
If you influence the life-supporting capacity of your organization, this work is for you.
Our Three Lanes of Engagement
🔵 AWARENESS
Ideal for those exploring new possibilities.
- Listen to the Circularity Catalyst Podcast
- Read the Primal Mandate™ Explainer
- Explore the Frameworks
🟧 Gain Clarity
Ideal for leaders gathering clarity and trust.
- Take the Primal Mandate™ Diagnostic
- Review case examples
- Attend a workshop or webinar
🔴 Transformation
Leaders ready for transformation.
- Book a 1:1 Strategy Call
- Engage in Advisory Retainer
- Bring Ken in for a keynote or board session
Why Ken Alston?
Ken Alston is the originator of the Primal Mandate™ and one of the world’s longest-practicing business sustainability strategists.
His career includes:
- Founder of one of the first corporate sustainability departments (1992)
- 17-year tenure with William McDonough & Dr. Michael Braungart
- CEO of McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC)
- Managed the start up of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition
- Managed the creation of Cradle to Cradle Certification v1.0
- Senior Advisor to CEPA (Circular Economy Platform of the Americas)
- Founding keynote speaker at CEFA (every year since inception)
- U.S. State Department Earth Week speaker (Germany Tour)
- Co-author of Real Circularity™
- Creator of DLN™, Tactical Tetrahedron™, Vitacide Risk™, and Carbon Coherence™
- Host of the Circularity Catalyst Podcast
Ken’s work is not an extension of traditional sustainability —
it is a replacement for the outdated models that haven’t delivered results.
He brings clarity, coherence, and strategic architecture to leaders seeking to build enduring enterprises.
Your Next Step
Take the Primal Mandate™ Diagnostic
Be a Guest on the Circularity Catalyst Podcast
Take the Primal Mandate™ Diagnostic
See where your business is aligned with — or violating — the core law of sustainable enterprise.
Book a Strategy Call
Be a Guest on the Circularity Catalyst Podcast
Take the Primal Mandate™ Diagnostic
Explore how the Primal Mandate™ frameworks apply to your business model.
Be a Guest on the Circularity Catalyst Podcast
Be a Guest on the Circularity Catalyst Podcast
Be a Guest on the Circularity Catalyst Podcast
Share your work with a global audience shaping the future.
**Life can only continue when the systems that support life are protected, strengthened, and renewed. The Primal Mandate™ is the only North Star that truly aligns business with life. This is where sustainable enterprise begins.**
Ken Alston
Copyright © 2025, 2026 Circularity Edge, LLC - All Rights Reserved.
Circularity Edge™, Design like Nature™, Vitacide Risk™, Sovereign Sustainability™, Carbon Coherence™ and Use-cycle Logic™ are Trademarks of Circularity Edge, LLC
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