Jennifer Hinton

Jennifer Hinton is a Postdoctoral Fellow affiliated with Lund University's Centre for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC) and Department of Economic History. She operates at the intersection of academic research and activism, focusing on systemic economic transformations toward sustainability.

Her educational background includes dual PhDs: one in Sustainability Science from Stockholm University and another in Economics from the University of Clermont Auvergne. This interdisciplinary foundation informs her development of relationship-to-profit theory, which examines how societal attitudes toward profit impact ecological and social sustainability outcomes.

Hinton's research centers on not-for-profit business models and post-growth economic systems. She pioneered the Not-for-Profit World model through her book How on Earth, analyzing how enterprises operating without profit motives could better address planetary boundaries and human wellbeing. Her work spans sustainable business model innovation, degrowth economics, and institutional restructuring for ecological resilience.

Analysis of her publications reveals consistent focus on profit's role in sustainability failures, with recent work examining Nordic welfare systems within post-growth frameworks and organizational transformations toward degrowth. Her research bridges theoretical innovation with practical applications for policymakers and businesses.

As an active academic, Hinton supervises master's students and contributes to major research initiatives including the Postgrowth Welfare Systems project (2021-2025) and the Excellence Programme for Sustainable Development (2021-2027). Her 32 documented activities include media engagements, policy advisory roles, and public lectures promoting not-for-profit business solutions for fast fashion and other sustainability challenges.

Hinton maintains strong connections with civil society organizations and policymakers, translating academic insights into actionable strategies for economic transformation. Her work directly contributes to multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals through practical frameworks for regenerative economic systems.