Lately, I’ve been moderating conversations and recording podcasts on sustainability. It has been events filled with passionate voices, bold ideas, and ambitious goals. And yet, as I listen and engage, a question keeps resurfacing in my mind: Are we narrowing sustainability down to labels and certifications while missing what truly matters?
Don’t get me wrong, standards, audits, and measurements have their place. But if sustainability is only about ticking boxes, are we actually moving forward? Shouldn’t sustainability, at its core, be about collaboration, long-term thinking, and working together for the greater good?
For me, sustainability isn’t just about protecting the planet. It’s also about sustaining the cultures we build, the values we uphold, and the leadership we practice. It’s about longevity, not just of resources, but of relationships, businesses, and trust.
When we talk about future-proofing, are we also talking about the people at the center of it all? Are we nurturing communities that can thrive beyond the next budget cycle or beyond a single leader’s vision? True sustainability means looking beyond our own lifetimes and asking how the decisions we make today will shape the lives of those who come next.
So maybe it’s time to redefine what we mean when we talk about “being sustainable.” Let’s not limit it to recycling bins and energy ratings, let’s expand it to how we treat one another, how we build organizations, how we lead, and how we define success.
Because the future doesn’t need more buzzwords. It needs more responsibility. And that starts with a mindset I believe, and not with a label.
