Conclusion

The sustainability story is reaching a tipping point. Is it a nice-to-have or a must-have value proposition? What is holding the story back? Answer: The logic that if consumers won’t pay, companies won’t play. We need to change this storyline.

Reviewing Sustainability’s Story

Figure 1.11 shows the hype cycle, a tool for tracking the implementation of innovation strategies. Let’s talk through sustainability’s progress along the hype cycle.

  1. A few sustainability leaders—e.g., Patagonia and Starbucks—won big, both in image and profits.

  2. Many companies quickly followed, hoping to leverage sustainability for image and profit benefits. Few achieved the success promised by the Peak of Inflated Expectations.

  3. Many sustainability programs ran into trouble and were forced to retrench (e.g., Chipotle)—or even withdraw key initiatives (e.g., Sunchips). They landed in the Trough of Disillusionment.

  4. Companies are committing to be net zero by 2050, but they don’t know how to get there—and many are behind schedule.

The bottom line: Decision makers (of all kinds) are looking for entry to the Slope of Enlighment. Their goal: Get to the plateau of productivity ASAP.

Figure 1.11: Sustainability and the Hype Cycle

The good news: You can help write sustainability’s happily-ever-after ending. How, you ask? With the right toolkit, you can help your company get to the Plateau of Productivity by 2030—a key target to achieving net zero by 2050. The more companies that help define the proven path, the more companies will join the quest.

Becoming a Sustainability Influencer

Here are three ideas to keep in mind as you strive to influence the sustainability story.

The Circular Economy

You can promote and help build momentum for sustainability by learning more about the circular economy (see Figure 1.12). By re-imagining value creation, the circular economy offers a goal everyone—from sustainability skeptics to climate activists—can work toward. How does it work? By focusing on sustainability from the very beginning—i.e., design—and building the supply chain to leverage recycling, repair, and reuse, not only will sustainability practice increase but costs will go down. Everyone wins: The consumer, the company, and the planet.

Figure 1.12: The Circular Economy

Your Sustainability Toolkit

Sustainability ecosystems are complex. They consist of a lot of moving parts that often interact in unexpected ways. As a sustainability influencer, you will need to build an advanced toolkit to help you make the decisions that deliver results and build momentum. What tools are in a winning toolkit? Answer: Systems thinking, visibility, measurement, costing, and the ability to tell sticky stories. The good news: These tools will help you make better decisions every day—and in every area.

Innovation is the Key

Even as you pursue the pragmatic things that make an immediate difference, you need to promote innovation, both within your company and across the supply chain, which in sustainability’s case includes governments, think tanks, and universities. Carbon capture, fusion, and new materials like graphene could all be game changers that might make improbable goals—like net zero by 2050—easier to achieve than anyone thinks.

Let’s conclude with the best news: Consumers—from the wealthy West to the poorest of the poor—are going to be the ultimate driver of sustainability. If you can make their lives better, they will help make the drive for sustainability an irresistible force. Building your toolkit to pursue a circular economy and promote the right innovation will mean that consumers no longer have to choose between sustainability and lifestyle. It might not be as hard as many people think to make sure that the sustainability story gets a happily-ever-after ending.