As discussed in Part
1
of this short series, Auden Schendler recently wrote a pretty searing
critique
of the sustainable business field in Stanford Social Innovation Review
(ideally, it is best to read Schendler’s article first before rounding back to
this one). I described it there and partially responded. Here, I take it deeper.
The rest of the response
Schendler is clearly most right in his assertion that the sustainable business
field has not achieved its potential. There are a lot of reasons, but some are
getting missed.
I used decades of very mixed experience trying to accelerate change in the
sustainable business field, and similar experiences in other sectors, to reflect
— and came to see many unexpected obstacles I call mindset barriers towards
business achieving its potential. These are wrong, partial, or obsolete
assumptions we hold that affect how we see things — including how we assess
potential new opportunities. If our assumptions are invalid, we’re not going to
be at our best.
Probably anyone can have these. They are held both within businesses (those
self-limiting paradigms mentioned in Part 1), as well as the sustainable
business press and trade organizations; and, by those outside the field who
could have facilitated their quicker and better evolution. See this
article, which
is a deposit on my Ph.D. work on the subject.
Communicating complex, unfamiliar sustainability claims on CPG packaging
Join us as Applegate and HowGood share insights into marketing lessons, consumer response and understanding, and marketplace data on the expression and communication of new categories of sustainability claims on CPG packaging - as well as tips for avoiding consumer and industry backlash and controversy - Wed, Oct. 16, at SB'24 San Diego.
Those outside the field show some reasons why the slower-than-possible progress
is not entirely sustainable business practitioners’ and promoters’ fault.
Contrary to the presumption in the Schendler article, practically no one knows
the field even exists.
The mainstream media ignores the field (I’ve asked the New York Times
many times to cover it, recently ending my subscription more for this reason
than any other). But the same is so for government, most academia and
environmentalists. I’ve concluded that in a world often intermediated through
powerful, peer-reinforced narratives and ideologies, they suffer from not having
a political home — not on the left, right or even center. And ideologies don’t
change easily.
You can’t come to support what you’ve never heard of. Or, if you have, the
field’s claims are automatically categorized as “greenwash” — whether they are
or aren’t — with business’ remaining flaws always highlighted. Sustainable
business, therefore, must seem to those who do run across it to be an obvious
oxymoron, not something you look at seeing potential to help society address its
problems.
Finally, at least some of the political changes that Schendler rightly calls on
businesses to make seem to be happening — albeit still not scaled and sometimes
needing a prod.
I’m talking mostly, but not exclusively, about the Georgia ballot law making it
harder to vote, with a number of prominent
companies
coming out on the ethical
side
against it. Who would have anticipated seeing at least the early signs of a
Republican “War with corporate
America?”
I was shocked, however, to note a couple of non-Republican, anti-Georgia Law
columnists come out against the support from business. I can’t fully fathom
that; except that they might believe that, contrary to both Schendler and me,
business should never take a political stand. Another was that some employees of
these companies might feel uncomfortable with their employers’ progressive
position.
Similarly, regarding Schendler‘s statement that “Biden’s aggressiveness on
climate is almost shocking, but he needs support from the business community”—
he’s getting some of
it!
Sustainable business could — finally — be entering an interesting era! If so,
full-scale condemnation or dismissal of it isn’t the right approach.
A new approach to develop the field further
Instead, we should try a nuanced combination of, yes, criticism — targeted to
where and to whom it’s deserved; and careful praise and coaching where
appropriate, including stating: “You got this right, so good; but you’re still
lacking in that. It is important to show progress in that. Have you
considered trying X?” And at the same time, improve the other factors
synergistic to the field’s development, so there are both internal and external
forces working in the same direction.
Further, outside the context of Schendler’s critique, the sustainable business
field should be an increasingly formal part of both government’s economic
development and climate change plans. Progress there has been even slower.
My vision
Here are a few points from my vision for the sustainable business field, from
2017, when I wrote “On 40 Years Watching the Sustainable Business
Field.”
-
We need to try harder to avoid common one-step-forward/half-step-back change
patterns.
-
A growing number of consultants and foundations … are telling businesses
what the latter may not want to hear. … When I’ve seen them do it, they are not
getting hit for it (I was referring mostly to consultants who had evolved to
also become critics, some of whom seemed to be flourishing).
-
With learning and revising — and luck — sustainable business can begin to
displace ‘conventional’ business with a new business-as-usual.
I believe it is still possible for the field to become the hero we need more
than ever, along with other complementary and synergistic changes from others.
This includes more regulations — though it is sometimes misunderstood that
sustainable business proponents are arguing for deregulation. I can’t see how
transformation to a sustainable society can happen without this.
Even Schendler doesn’t rule out the “possibility that business may wake up and
finally execute on the promise of the sustainability movement.”
Final recommendation
If it hasn’t already, I hope Sustainable Brands makes this a major
continuing theme.
I’d like to thank Michael Labombarda — a colleague at my first post-college
job, at which I first glimpsed the-then-unheard-of idea of big business helping
to address social and environmental problems — and my wife, Sandy Polsky, for
their comments on an earlier version.
Get the latest insights, trends, and innovations to help position yourself at the forefront of sustainable business leadership—delivered straight to your inbox.
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 12, 2021 8am EDT / 5am PDT / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST