Breaking the sustainability stalemate: Profit, purpose, and the courage to change

Odharnait Ansbro, Programme Director, Leading Sustainable Organisations Programme, discusses the challenge of matching sustainability ambition with action.

Last year, global food giant JBS made headlines with its “net zero by 2040” pledge – and soon after, faced lawsuits and media scrutiny over the credibility of its plan. The episode exposed a hard truth: bold sustainability promises mean little without the strategy, structure, and courage to deliver them.

It’s a dilemma facing countless organisations today. The business case for sustainability has never been stronger – 88% of CEOs say it’s more compelling now than five years ago, and 97% expect to integrate it into core strategy and leadership pay by 2050, according to a UN Global Compact and Accenture study. Yet only half feel confident communicating their progress.

That gap between ambition and action reveals the deeper problem: traditional business models were never designed for sustainability. They reward short-term returns, not long-term resilience. They measure performance by quarterly results, not ecosystem health. And while the tools to act responsibly exist, most organisations still struggle to translate intent into impact.

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