Many companies are committed to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but what is the value of the SDGs in business? While the SDGs have been considered as a North Star and a strategic tool helping companies pursue a meaningful sustainability agenda, in reality, it seems like they fail to do so. Therefore, it is time to reconsider if and what role the SDGs should have in business. — Earlier this year the GRI published a study looking into business contributions to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). …

2021 was the year of the Great Resignation. Will 2022 be the year of the Great Awakening, where we see a growing number of companies move away from sustainability-as-usual and adopt awakened sustainability as an organizing principle? And if so, what are some of the key signals of a sustainability-first mindset we may see in 2022? — In 2021 millions of people around the world quit their job. This trend was termed the “Great Resignation” or the “Big Quit.” However, resignation or quitting may have a negative connotation — quitting, for example, is “associated with pessimism, laziness, and lack of confidence,” Derek Thompson wrote on the Atlantic…

Starting in January I’ll be having office hours every Wednesday to discuss ideas, questions, and thoughts related to my new book “Rethinking Corporate Sustainability in the Era of Climate Crisis — A Strategic Design Approach.” — After my book “Rethinking Corporate Sustainability in the Era of Climate Crisis — A Strategic Design Approach” was published in July I had the pleasure of talking with many people and organizations about the ideas and frameworks I share in the book.

What do climate warriors do in the holidays when it comes to shopping? This time of the year brings up once again the dilemma of individual vs. collective action, offering both a challenge and an opportunity to rethink how to become more effective in the fight over climate change. — The holiday season has never been easy for those who are committed to combatting climate change (aka climate warriors). And this year is no different. …

In his 2021 letter to CEOs, Larry Fink, the CEO and chairman of BlackRock, the world’s largest investment manager, wrote: “No issue ranks higher than climate change on our clients’ lists of priorities.” His comment reflected a growing unease with how the climate crisis is already disrupting businesses. Companies’ concerns…

Curious to find the answer? Join me, Maxine Bédat (New Standard Institute), Asheen Phansey (Eleven Radius), Sesh Vedachalam (frog), and Jen van der Meer (Parsons School of Design) for an online panel on September 24th, where we will discuss why companies need to move away from ”sustainability-as-usual”, what will come next and how to make change happen! — Here is a prediction: Climate change will become the defining issue for companies this decade (even if CEOs are slow to recognize it). …

A vision without a theory of change explaining how might we get there has little value. This is also true when it comes to awakened sustainability, the mode that will replace sustainability-as-usual, as suggested in my new book Rethinking Corporate Sustainability in the Era of Climate Crisis — A Strategic Design Approach. New narratives play a critical role in this shift and so are the people and companies that advance them, which I call narrative warriors. This article is the first part of a guide describing how to be an effective narrative warrior.

When I talk about the shortcomings of sustainability-as-usual and why this mode is inadequate for the era of climate crisis, I’m often asked: What is the alternative? What should we replace sustainability-as-usual with? In my new book Rethinking Corporate Sustainability in the Era of Climate Crisis — A Strategic Design Approach, I share my answer to these questions, presenting a new vision I call awakened sustainability. This is part of a series of articles highlighting issues I discuss in the new book.

How do we fix corporate sustainability? Changing the focal point from corporate sustainability practices (normal matter) to the elements that underlie corporate sustainability (dark matter) is a good starting point. This is part of a series of articles highlighting issues I discuss in my upcoming book “Rethinking Corporate Sustainability in the Era of Climate Crisis — A Strategic Design Approach” (July 2021). You can find the other articles here, here, and here.