Holistic Sustainability: The Corporate Snake & #dontpausetheclause
“The most crucial part of the mechanism is constructing the act of decision making towards fulfilling the obligation”
The Clause
Holistic sustainability is to resolve ourselves to our nature, our society, our wants and needs, hoping to live in a healthy, creative, sustainable and competitive society that encompasses all that we are and all that we do and can be.
“The Clause,” is about holistic sustainability.
Like the ‘onion’ it works almost unseen, from the centre of the onion outwards where peeling back each layer reveals deeper truths, understandings and complexities.
Peeling away each layer gives way to hidden discoveries about how it can work with layers about power, human nature, society’s structures, and the interconnected mesh through cultural semiotics.
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A Summary Example: The mechanism
(parameters not fixed)
E.g., a company/entity once passing a net profit threshold of $1B USD net profit, a has a mandated clause arise in its constitution (or charter) and is obligated to donate 1% (e.g., $10,000,000USD) to an independent not-for-profit entity that provides a holistic sustainability outcome, e.g., NFP sustainability innovator, community welfare, a society cause, cancer research etc.
A context is critical to keep in mind:
– The resource of 1% $USD is not as important as the decision-making mechanism creating culture,
– The law of averages are universally at play as all new companies have the clausal mechanism at their beginning,
– Current solvent entities are not obligated and can be grandfathered in decades later. This reduces conflict and power struggle,
– People power rests at the birthing of companies,
– The more an entity earns the more the company, itself, and overall holistic sustainability benefit in a virtuous cycle,
– The owners decide where the resource goes not government,
– The motivation becomes internal not external,
– Culture is created from sharing, digesting and refashioning information, decisions and attitudes amongst people,
– The Clausal Obligation works semiotically, unconsciously and consciously interconnected like a game of chess, slow moving and moves ahead.
A Treatise on Jan Cleveringa’s #dontpausetheclause: Reimagining Sustainability through Corporate Cultural Transformation
Introduction
Jan Cleveringa, a Sydney-based conceptual and multidisciplinary artist, has emerged with a provocative voice in the discourse on sustainability, cultural change, and corporate responsibility. His 2019 art installation, The Corporate Snake, and the associated hashtag #dontpausetheclause, encapsulate a radical vision for societal transformation and ongoing holistic sustainability. This treatise explores the philosophical, cultural, and practical dimensions of #dontpausetheclause, a concept rooted in Cleveringa’s call for a new legal clause in corporate constitutions, and charters, to drive an integrated sustainability. By analyzing his work, artistic philosophy, and the broader socio-economic context, this treatise argues that #dontpausetheclause is not merely an artistic provocation but a semiotic and structural challenge to improving capitalism’s status quo, urging businesses to become “machines of cultural change” via a semiotic psychologically charged mechanism called ‘The Clause’ or the ‘Cleveringa Principle’.
The Genesis of #dontpausetheclause: Art as a Catalyst for Change
Cleveringa’s The Corporate Snake (2019), an installation featuring 25,000 discarded fluorescent light globes arranged in a rainforest in the Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia, serves as the conceptual foundation for #dontpausetheclause. The work confronts viewers with the tangible waste of industrial processes—each globe, valued at approximately $7.50 AUD (2019), represents a collective waste of $188,000 AUD. This installation is not just a critique of waste but a meditation on the potential for reimagining discarded resources. Cleveringa uses the fluorescent globes, still functional yet discarded, to symbolize the untapped potential for businesses to repurpose waste and rethink operational paradigms. The installation sculpture serves as a starting point about holistic sustainability including societal waste, recycling, the lack of predictive planning and only one of the many issues as why capitalism needs this clause, the benefits, things to to consider, how culture forms.
The hashtag #dontpausetheclause emerges from this installation as a call to action. It advocates for a legally binding clause in corporate constitutions that mandates an obligation when passing a net earnings threshold leading to societal cultural change enabling mindfulness and enhancing sustainability, transforming businesses into agents of cultural change. Unlike traditional corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives or B Corps, which are often voluntary and sometimes superficial, Cleveringa’s clause is envisioned as a mandatory, postmodern, semiotic-driven obligation. It seeks to embed sustainability into the legal and cultural fabric of companies culturally due to an agreed clause and mandated obligation. Hence, decision making processes are affected ensuring that environmental, innovative, and holistic community responsibility are not optional but integral to corporate identity and stakeholders and interest groups.
Philosophical Underpinnings: Semiotics and Postmodernism
Cleveringa’s work is deeply rooted in postmodern and poststructuralist thought, drawing on thinkers like Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault, and Roland Barthes. His use of semiotics—the study of signs and symbols—positions The Corporate Snake and #dontpausetheclause as a critique of capitalist systems that prioritize profit over meaning. The fluorescent globes are not just waste; they are signs of a dysfunctional system that discards functional resources. By reimagining these globes in an artistic context, Cleveringa challenges the viewer to reconsider the cultural narratives surrounding consumption and disposal.
The hashtag #dontpausetheclause itself is a semiotic device, a rallying cry that resists the inertia of corporate complacency. The phrase “don’t pause” implies urgency and continuity, rejecting the tendency to treat sustainability as a temporary campaign or a box-ticking exercise. Instead, Cleveringa envisions a perpetual commitment, legally enshrined, that forces companies to confront their ecological and social impacts continuously. This aligns with postmodernism’s emphasis on deconstructing fixed narratives and replacing them with fluid, transformative frameworks.
The Corporate Clause: A Blueprint for Systemic Change
At the heart of #dontpausetheclause is the proposal for a new legal clause in corporate constitutions. While Cleveringa does not provide a verbatim draft of the clause because its about the mechanism not set parameters, its essence is clear: it would mandate companies to adopt the obligation as a core operational principle once it passes a net profit threshold e.g., $1B USD, not as an afterthought. Once, the company entity has passed the threshold it stays obligated. Hence, most corporate entities including Sole Traders, Partnerships, Trusts, Companies (private or public) etc, will never be affected by the obligation itself, except by regular societal pressure.” This clause would differ significantly from existing environmental regulations, which often focus on compliance rather than cultural transformation. They are also usually externally forced and not internally driven like the clause through decision making, planning and ownership. Nor is there any control by the owners of the business but under the clause the owners or shareholders have this capacity in some way to make decisions and allocate towards a not-for-profit innovator, cause or community organisation. By embedding the idea of obligatory decision making in corporate governance, the clause aims to shift the ethos of businesses, making them accountable for long-term ecological and societal impacts but also holistic and sustainable innovations. They give back to the community they earn from but only at a small cost to the company. Usually, only global companies are expected to be obligated or the like. The threshold can be indexed. The allocation needs to go to a provable independent ‘non conflict of interest’ NFP industry. The allocation is determined by the ownership. The allocation is independently audited as part of the NFP processes. The ownership can get ‘street cred and goodwill’ for the Causes that they contribute towards. There would be three or five year contractual agreements for stability of process. Some examples of NFP allocations could be innovative cancer research, solar technology, fusion research, community welfare support, sports, arts. However, Cleveringa, under the guide of secularism and democratic capitalism suggests that no religious group can directly accept any funds for religion unless for NFP community welfare purposes.
This proposal is radical because it challenges the foundational logic of capitalism, which prioritizes short-term profit over long-term sustainability. Cleveringa argues that businesses can enhance capitalism by becoming “machines of cultural change,” aligning profit motives with environmental and social goals. This vision resonates with emerging theories of stakeholder capitalism, which advocate for businesses to serve not just shareholders but all stakeholders, including the environment and future generations. However, Cleveringa’s approach is distinct in its legal and semiotic framing, using the clause as a binding mechanism to enforce cultural shifts.
Cultural and Societal Implications
The #dontpausetheclause movement extends beyond corporate governance to address broader societal culture. Cleveringa’s work suggests that sustainability is not just a technical challenge but a cultural one, requiring a reorientation of values. His Listening to Trees series, exhibited at Art Atrium Gallery, Eden Unearthed, and other venues, complements this vision by exploring humanity’s disrupted relationship with nature. By using recycled materials and natural processes (e.g., tree movements to create marks), Cleveringa symbolizes the need to reconnect with the environment, a theme that echoes in #dontpausetheclause’s call for corporate mindfulness.
The hashtag also engages with the concept of “mythologies of the discarded,” as seen in Cleveringa’s group exhibition at Peacock Gallery, Auburn. This phrase encapsulates the idea that discarded objects—and by extension, discarded values—can be reimagined to create new cultural narratives. By advocating for a clause that prevents companies from “pausing” their sustainability efforts, Cleveringa seeks to transform the myth of endless growth into one of cyclical renewal and responsibility- a virtuous or Win Win cycle.
Practical Challenges and Critiques
While #dontpausetheclause is visionary, it faces significant practical and ideological challenges. Implementing a mandatory clause in corporate constitutions would require legislative action across jurisdictions, a daunting task given the global diversity of corporate law. Critics might argue that such a clause could stifle innovation or burden smaller companies disproportionately. Moreover, the reliance on semiotics and postmodern frameworks may alienate stakeholders who prioritize practical solutions over conceptual ideas. There is likely to be misunderstanding of the idea and politically motivated dismissal for short-term goals of individuals and political parties. However, Cleveringa sees this as a long-term ‘slow burning’ idea. One that needs a long-term framework and some time absorption for understanding about how it can work. One important fact is that no current organisations, companies or corporations are mandated to have the clause as they are formed. Only new forming companies accept the clause as People power begins with legislation at the birth of entities where new agreements are mandatory. Current companies can be ‘grandfathered’ into the clause later e.g., ninety-nine years. However, if they want to change legal identities then that means they become obligated under new incorporation. They can also volunteer in.
Cleveringa’s response, implicit in his work, is that cultural change precedes structural change. By using art to provoke dialogue, he aims to shift public and corporate consciousness, plant seeds, creating demand for legislative reform. His awards, such as the 2019 Eden Unearthed Art Prize and the 2021 Lake Light Sculpture Prize, his social media and website, validate his approach suggesting that his ideas resonate with audiences, institutions and interest groups.
Comparative Context: Global Sustainability Movements
Cleveringa’s #dontpausetheclause aligns with global sustainability movements but offers a unique perspective. Unlike initiatives like the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which provide broad guidelines, Cleveringa’s proposal is specific and legally binding. It shares similarities with the B Corporation movement, which certifies companies that meet high social and environmental standards, but goes further by advocating for universal adoption through legal mandates. The hashtag #changecompanieschangetheworld, often paired with #dontpausetheclause, underscores this global ambition, positioning businesses as pivotal actors in societal transformation.
Conclusion
Jan Cleveringa’s #dontpausetheclause is a bold and multifaceted intervention in the discourse on sustainability and corporate responsibility. Through The Corporate Snake and related works, Cleveringa uses art to critique wasteful systems and propose a transformative legal clause that embeds sustainability in corporate governance in anninnovative way. Rooted in postmodern and semiotic thought, the movement challenges capitalism to evolve into a force for cultural and environmental renewal while continuing the positives of capitalism such as new ideas, creation, discovery and advancements in technology and health etc. While practical challenges remain, the urgency and vision of #dontpausetheclause make it a compelling call to action, urging society to reimagine the role of businesses in shaping a sustainable future. As Cleveringa’s work continues to gain recognition, #dontpausetheclause stands as a testament to the power of art to inspire systemic change.
This treatise, grounded in Cleveringa’s artistic and philosophical contributions, underscores the transformative potential of #dontpausetheclause, inviting stakeholders to join a movement that redefines the intersection of art, business, and sustainability.
Jan Cleveringa, Artist.
Jan Cleveringa ~ Artist 