Is the end of 'Sustainability-as-usual' coming?

For those of you who haven’t heard the term 'Sustainability-as-usual', it’s the slow and voluntary adoption of sustainability in business, where companies commit to changes that aren’t disruptive to day-to-day operations. In other words, they start with an easier path to net-zero carbon emissions by opting for carbon offsets like tree farms or recyclable packaging, instead of the more complex tasks of reducing emissions, evaluating processes, or redesigning products and packaging for long-term sustainability.

With more and more prominent business leaders sounding the alarm on climate change, we are seeing a shift away from this strategy. Evidence of this is in the 2021 letter from BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, indicating that sustainability must be a top priority.

Fast Company’s recent story, How the Climate Crisis is Transforming the meaning of Sustainability in Business, covers the significance of this directive. The New York Times also covered Larry Fink's 2020 letter, which stated that BlackRock would vote against companies that did not provide sustainability-related disclosures. It’s clear that he’s committed to sustainability.?

Between the world’s largest investment manager, EU regulators, corporate customers and insurance companies making demands for transparency, conformity and action, it appears 'Sustainability-as-usual' may not be a long-term strategy. A critical first step in changing this directive is reducing energy consumption. However, changes can be costly to implement.

Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) solutions are one way companies can improve sustainability and lower project risk while avoiding large, upfront capital investments. Innovative companies like Calibrant Energy simplify the process even further by offering the flexible financial resources and the technical expertise needed to futureproof the energy transition.

Together, we have the choice to make this, as the United Nations calls it, the “Decade of Action” in more ways than one. As the technology landscape becomes more complex, and more daunting, planning for efficiency, resiliency and sustainability both now and decades down the line will require out-of-the-box collaboration between industries. Let’s make collaboration the starting point.

While Fink has put his stake in the ground—ideally inspiring other CEOs to take action—letting go of the 'Sustainability-as-usual' model is an important step in the journey to a future that’s more predictable, profitable, sustainable and resilient. To learn more about unlocking opportunities in achieving decarbonization and economic vitality, join us on March 10 for the Future Cities Briefing: New York with the Financial Times.