I’m returning to Sustainable Brands™ after almost four years away
from writing for it, and the sustainable business field as a whole. I left the
field because both I hadn’t made enough of a difference, and also to go in other
directions, including to ponder the failures of other big sustainability
projects of which I was a part. Consider this most probably a two-time return
visit.
(I use sustainable business, corporate sustainability, and corporate social
responsibility synonymously.)
After four decades prodding and challenging the sustainable business field, I
moved on — while still keeping my antennae receiving, and introducing the field
to areas where it is missing: such as the Green New
Deal,
green jobs, a “green economy.” This is a hard fight in a different way as those
involved are coming from a different place.
I never stopped believing in the field’s potential, and hoped others would
continue to build it; though it was never clear whether it would be enough.
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So, call this a quasi-defense of the field, or at least its continued potential,
in response to an attack from another former practitioner, Auden
Schendler.
Here in Part 1, I describe his new and powerful critique of the sustainable
business field, and begin to respond.
In Part 2, I take the partial defense further, and suggest a comprehensive way
to encourage its growth.
The critique
Last month, Schendler wrote "The Complicity of Corporate Sustainability"
in Stanford Social Innovation Review (ideally, it is best to read
Schendler’s article first before rounding back to this one). It’s a major
takedown of the sustainable business field, and its comments section is filled
with agreers. These include those who have worked in or teach about sustainable
business. It is a serious critique and not, for the most part, a weak one.
Certain words are pretty strong: “Complicity,” “with the fossil fuel industry…”; “Distraction,” “from actions…that would actually hurt, actions the fossil fuel industry fears”; and “Open Duplicity” by promising sustainability, but keeping their lobbyists fighting sustainability policy.
He charges that “win-win” solutions have been over-played at the expense of the systemic, justice-oriented and pro-society political actions that are needed, with inattention to power inequities. Whereas, my view is win-wins, with both business and environment and/or society benefitting, were a welcome breakthrough and a very good place to start — but certainly not end. And those gradually opening mindsets could produce multiple opportunities to prod for inclusion of those other needed areas — by no means the only Theory of Change, but a rare one I knew of no one applying.
Part of the response
I disagree with many, not all, points in the article — including the language
cited above — or believe it overextends some valid points. In some cases, I
question the logic behind a charge.
However, turned around, what Schendler complains about isn’t far from my own
vision (which I’ll discuss in Part 2). I just see more progress, and the
potential for much more, than he does; or have a different Theory of Change,
with more temporary tolerance of business’ inconsistencies. Neither of us is
satisfied with the pace of
progress.
One reason for my still-somewhat more positive view is that, over the years, I’d
noticed a pattern of sustainable business practitioners’ progress as they
proceeded from one paradigm to a somewhat better one (e.g. “Pollution Prevention
Pays,” with several intervening steps to “Purpose”) — always self-limiting (not
that people seemed to realize that) and rarely approaching where it needs to go.
When someone would raise an example to try to stretch the thinking, such as an
Interface
(i.e. me, from the back of the room; although others in recent years), it did
not become the automatic new baseline for the field as I once anticipated.
Still, any incremental conceptual progress (and these were not small ones)
indirectly indicates another phase is possible — and then another, maybe someday
getting closer to Transformation.
At hundreds of sustainable business forums, I never heard sustainable business
ever promoted, as Schendler says, as “Business could, through its own
operations, drive the solutions to climate change,” or his “presumption that
corporations, unrestrained, will save us.” Usually, it was just versions of:
“Sustainability will save you money.” Actually, I don’t recall ever hearing any
vision at all for sustainable business.
So, you can’t fault something for not living up to a claim which, to my
knowledge, was never made.
It was always going to take many things, and still will, to address society’s
many immense problems. But there’s no reason an elevated sustainable business
sector (or better, someday, a sustainable business-centric economy) can’t play a
disproportionately positive and critical role. We need all the help we
can get!
It is extreme to blame the sustainable business field for lack of societal
progress towards addressing societal needs, and for the continued political
power of big oil and money in politics, when there are so many simultaneous
other factors. One could instead solely blame any other factor — such as
inadequate education, which we usually don’t; or captured government regulation,
which we sometimes do.
Schendler also omits success stories, included all over Sustainable Brands.
There are still the heavyweights: Interface, Patagonia, Salesforce (whom
Schendler does say positive things about), and I assume others by now that could
get almost anyone first hearing about them surprised and confused — in a good
way. That is, they cannot believe what they’re hearing. For instance, see this
about Chobani — especially if
you’ve never seen a CEO playing foosball with his employees, some of whom are
probably refugees he’s welcomed. When I went to conferences, knowing what was
coming from companies such as these, I used to enjoy seeing jaws of first-timers
drop.
My guiding epistemological principle is if there are at least two, more if
there’s three, exceptions to the general understanding of something — such as
“big business is evil” (as is held in some of my other circles); or, if not
inherently, “business is forced by the system to act that way” — then, something
else is going on, a different reality than the current one I hold. And, if we’re
of a social science bent at all, such anomalies should catalyze us to re-examine
our views. Look harder for the nuances and consider what they’re telling us.
In other words, what explains those surprisingly positive actions — and can we
bottle it?
I’d also like to see more evidence than Schendler provided, preferably directly
quoting or paraphrasing the Sustainability MBA graduates of recent years that
they have not been successful working from the “Inside.” If so, what do they now
think is still doable, and how?
Their former professors need to be looped in and make the necessary adjustments
to curriculum, including bringing in interdisciplinary help.
In Part 2, I provide further response to Schendler’s article, including a way
to encourage the field’s accelerated development.
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Matt Polsky is a Ph.D. student at Erasmus University’s Sustainability Program,
studying Mindset Barriers to Sustainable Transformation, and a dabbler in too
many things.
Published May 5, 2021 2pm EDT / 11am PDT / 7pm BST / 8pm CEST