Advancing Sustainability Goals Beyond the Status Quo

Most businesses still define "sustainability" as reducing harm—using less, emitting less, wasting less. It’s definitely a start, and there’s nothing bad about that, but I think we’re seeing signs that we can go beyond. You may have read about regenerative agriculture and seen the marketing statements on your milk and sugar at the grocery store. But this idea goes beyond the farm to ‘regenerative business’ as a whole. Where enterprise isn’t just aiming to be ‘less bad’ but rather a net positive — connecting ecosystem restoration, resilience, social and economic development to business outcomes. No matter the vertical or industry, there are now opportunities and models being tested to see regeneration in action. Consider: In manufacturing: Companies are beginning to adopt regenerative design in their supply chains. Many examples now exist of products that don’t just reduce carbon emissions but rather remove them resulting in carbon-negative outputs. Case in point ▶️ Aquafil Group https://www.aquafil.com/ In finance: Regenerative investing goes beyond ESG screening to direct capital toward enterprises that build local economic resilience and long-term environmental health. Not just short-term yield. It’s value creation that compounds across generations. Case in point ▶️ Triodos Bank https://www.triodos.co.uk/ In tech: Innovators are deploying next-gen energy systems that store renewable power, operate off-grid or benefit grid stability, and scale modularly to meet demand—turning data centers into active participants in a cleaner energy future. Case in point ▶️ Exowatt https://lnkd.in/edJ7rWYK In corporate strategy: Businesses can turn their brand and product into enhanced models that recycle capital into system health. This might be through diverse areas like manufacturing processes, regenerative ag, empowering women, or the decarbonization of supply chains—not as CSR, but ultimately benefiting the planet and the bottom line. Case in point ▶️ VEJA https://lnkd.in/ekRNFXzP I think we’re increasingly seeing that these are not side hustles and I’m looking forward to more examples in 2025 showing that the ‘design logic’ of enterprise can be truly reoriented to create more value for every stakeholder. I’d love to hear any examples of regenerative business that you find innovative and inspiring.

Transforming corporate culture is a key step to advance corporate sustainability 🌍 Sharing here my latest article with Inc. Magazine on how companies like LEGO, Patagonia, and Unilever manage change and embed sustainability into their culture. Sustainability cannot be imposed. It requires transforming how organizations think, act, and make decisions. These companies show that change is possible when sustainability is treated as a system, not an initiative. Their experience reveals three essential elements: purpose, incentives, and governance. Each reinforces the other and together create lasting transformation. Purpose gives direction. It connects people’s daily work to a shared reason for being. When purpose drives change, decisions align with impact instead of convenience. Patagonia demonstrates this link. The company transferred ownership to channel all profits toward environmental conservation and gives employees paid time to support environmental organizations. These decisions make purpose tangible. They turn values into daily practice and strengthen credibility. Incentives shape behavior. What gets measured and rewarded becomes what matters. Integrating sustainability into performance and compensation systems helps build accountability and focus. LEGO introduced a carbon indicator tied to annual bonuses for salaried employees, embedding emissions reduction into personal objectives. This approach connects company success with environmental progress and ensures sustainability remains a shared goal across teams. Governance sustains consistency. It gives structure to purpose and incentives so they endure beyond leadership cycles. Unilever’s model shows how governance can turn sustainability into strategy. The company relies on dedicated committees, regular performance reviews, and external advisory councils to keep social and environmental goals on track. Together, these three pillars purpose, incentives, and governance create a foundation for sustainable corporate transformation. How prepared are organizations to manage sustainability with the same rigor as their core business? #sustainability #esg

Sustainability officers are an increasingly endangered species. Last week, I spoke with a group of sustainability officers navigating a corporate landscape where terms like CSR, ESG, and climate change have become dirty words, or at least politically charged. Many companies are pulling back from public commitments on sustainability—not necessarily because the urgency has diminished, but because the risk of backlash has grown. In this environment, nature and biodiversity are emerging as safer entry points for corporate sustainability efforts. While climate change is often framed as a divisive issue, nature remains more broadly accepted across political & ideological lines. 👉 Why nature can be a less controversial framing Many companies are using nature as a strategic way to maintain environmental commitments while avoiding political entanglements. Here’s why: 🌳 Universality & positive connotations – Nature is widely seen as something to be cherished, regardless of political views. Protecting forests, oceans, and wildlife can carry fewer ideological conflicts than decarbonization mandates or carbon pricing. 🤝 Reduced partisanship – Climate discussions frequently spark debates over regulations, economic costs, and industry impact. In contrast, nature-based initiatives—such as habitat restoration, conservation, and biodiversity projects—are less likely to be viewed as partisan issues. 🌱 Tangible local impact – Nature-focused projects have visible, immediate benefits: cleaner air & water, restored landscapes, and healthier ecosystems. These local, concrete outcomes resonate more than global climate targets, which can feel abstract or distant. ⛈️ Strategic communication – By framing sustainability efforts around nature, companies can continue advancing environmental goals—like emissions reduction—without explicitly linking them to politically charged climate policies. 👉 The resilience narrative: An even broader framework For some companies, even protecting nature is seen as too controversial. That’s where another concept is gaining traction: resilience. One sustainability officer shared how their company avoids even the word "nature" in favor of resilience-focused language: ✅ Resilient supply chains that withstand environmental & geopolitical disruptions ✅ Resilient infrastructure that adapts to extreme weather & resource scarcity ✅ Resilient business models that reduce risk & increase long-term stability By focusing on resilience, companies can integrate sustainability into their strategy without triggering resistance—not as an ideological stance, but as a smart business decision. As the political landscape shifts, sustainability officers are finding new ways to keep moving forward. Whether through nature-based solutions or resilience framing, the goal remains the same: building a future where businesses & ecosystems can thrive together. If you're in this space, how are you navigating the current climate? 📷 Olympic Peninsula by me.

In my article for Forbes, I argue that ESG in emerging markets must be seen not as a burden, but as a powerful enabler of growth. Too often, ESG is reduced to checklists and compliance. But when treated as a strategic lens, it drives resilience, innovation, and competitiveness. The real challenge is not intent, but execution. Many global companies make ambitious ESG commitments, but fewer succeed in embedding them across decision-making and operations. That gap between vision and reality is where true leadership is tested. India’s example shows how contextual ESG can create impact. Clean energy deployment, bold 2030 targets, and enabling policy frameworks are helping integrate sustainability into our growth story. This alignment of development and decarbonisation offers lessons for other emerging markets. The path ahead is clear: ESG cannot remain a report on the shelf. It must become the DNA of strategy, shaping how companies invest, innovate, and deliver value. Those who embrace this shift will not only strengthen their businesses but also help shape a sustainable future. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gK7bbDC4 #ReNewTheFuture #Sustainability #Leadership

This week, I read an article asking: Has the corporate sustainability movement become unsustainable? It’s a fair question. Today’s economic and political headwinds are undeniable — ESG reporting rollbacks, social pushback and rising compliance costs. I get why it’s tempting for companies to treat sustainability as another compliance checklist. We’re at an inflection point, but if we only focus on the cost, we miss the real opportunity to treat sustainability as a competitive advantage. Instead of pulling back, this is the time to double down on what truly works: Use this “regulatory breather” to strengthen ESG foundations that go beyond reporting and have real impacts on your bottom line and operational resilience –– supply chain transparency, emissions reductions and ethical sourcing. Invest in the data and tech that gives you visibility across every supply chain tier because sustainability performance starts with knowing where the risks and opportunities lie. Turn sustainability into an engine of resilience by optimizing energy use, reducing waste and mitigating supplier disruptions before they hit your P&L. The result? Lower risk, stronger operations, greater brand trust and a long-term edge that no short-term rollback can erase. https://lnkd.in/g2xYZzZw

I was invited to speak to the Chief Sustainability Officer group at the World Economic Forum during climate Week. I urged us all to take control of the narrative. Here is a summary... Let’s shift the narrative. As sustainability leaders… Let’s not talk about decarbonization as emissions. Let’s talk about it as innovation that drives: ·    energy cost savings, ·    avoidance of energy pricing volatility ·    avoidance of carbon fees ·    reduced maintenance ·    increased productivity ·    sales lift Let’s not talk about tons of waste diverted from landfill and reused, let’s talk about it as innovation that reduces: ·    virgin input costs ·    waste disposal costs ·    exposure to geopolitical risk in supply chains ·    exposure to tariffs (e.g. Renault is putting 45% of used car components into new cars) Our research into the Return on Sustainability Investment (ROSI) shows that sustainability is just good management.   The methodology (developed with companies) has found nine value drivers associated with sustainability, including operational efficiency, risk reduction, employee retention and productivity, sales and marketing, and and innovation and growth. For example, innovation is about identifying a problem or an opportunity. It can be focused on process, product or service. It can be incremental or transformative. From a sustainability perspective, innovations fall into two broad buckets:  ·    innovating sustainability improvements in an industry or a category ·    innovating with a process, product or service that is needed by society. The first approach requires understanding the material ESG issues for the sector and designing solutions that tackle that issue, while also improving the underlying value proposition - -which sustainability can do. The second approach is tougher, but has more potential to go big: Innovating to solve broad societal problems such as water scarcity, plastic packaging pollution and health impacts, tackling the carbon transition, social inequity and so on. Here we might look at innovation such as 3D printing (e.g. on demand) using recycled inputs – tires, dresses, construction materials etc. We might look at bio-based plastic made from air and methane-based greenhouse gas dissolved in saltwater, recyclable through biological digestion. We might look at how to give immigrants and others with no credit history access to credit through tracking ontime rental payments. So as you work with your companies, help them understand that managing the material ESG issues for their sector and company is not a reporting and compliance exercise. It is a good management exercise that can drive everything from operational efficiency to sales and customer loyalty to innovation that will help the bottomline. Put in place methods such as ROSI with your finance team or ESG controller to track the financial benefits so you can get sustainability to the speed and scale you and the planet want and need.