Navigating the business of sustainability: A practitioner’s guide
By Carrie Scott, Dr Márcia Balisciano and Dr Christian Leitz
As climate, technology, regulation and societal expectations reshape business at unprecedented speed, sustainability has moved from the margins to the mainstream. Success now depends on embedding it into strategy, governance, decision-making and value creation. The future belongs to practitioners who can navigate uncertainty, influence and change and translate sustainability into business results. In an era defined by accountability rather than aspiration, sustainability is not a separate agenda. It is a fundamental driver of resilience, competitiveness, growth and long-term value.
The premise
Sustainability is not new – the moment is. Sustainability is not a new management practice; it has long been rooted in principles of long term value creation, risk management and business resilience. What is new is the context: we are operating amid profound societal and environmental disruption that is reshaping markets and expectations at speed. The risks are sharper, the opportunities larger and the expectations of leaders rising fast. To stay relevant, leaders need to evolve their capabilities, deepen their craft and step confidently into the strategic conversations shaping the direction of the business.
The future belongs to practitioners who can navigate uncertainty and deliver value. Navigating the Business of Sustainability: A Practitioner’s Guide is a practical, experience-based resource for leaders striving for positive, lasting impact.
The book draws on insights from nearly thirty contributors – including senior sustainability officers, board members and academics from around the world – alongside the authors’ own decades of cross-sector leadership.
The central theme
A central theme of the book is that sustainability must be integrated into the business rather than treated as a separate function. Effective practitioners translate sustainability into the language of value creation, risk management, resilience, innovation and financial performance. Rather than developing standalone sustainability agendas, organizations should embed sustainability into corporate strategy, governance structures, decision-making processes and operational systems. The practitioner’s role is therefore not merely technical but deeply strategic and rooted in change management. And it is not going away – we argue that, even while sustainability must become more integrated into the heart of the business, you need a sustainability leader who sees the big picture, asks the difficult questions and stays the course on minimizing sustainability risks and maximizing opportunities for the company’s long-term benefit.
We emphasize four foundational pillars of successful corporate sustainability. First, sustainability must be embedded into strategy through a compelling business case, clear priorities, measurable objectives and integration into existing business processes. Second, strong governance is required. Boards, executives and management must establish accountability, align incentives and ensure that sustainability considerations influence major business decisions. Third, stakeholder engagement is critical – understanding and responding to the needs of investors, employees, customers, governments, communities, suppliers and civil society organizations – but we point out that companies can’t always meet all expectations. They need to segment and prioritize and be transparent about what’s possible today and what may take longer. Effective engagement builds trust, strengthens a firm’s license to operate and improves decision-making. Fourth, sustainability practitioners must focus on credible reporting that demonstrates performance rather than simply relying on aspirational storytelling, or put another way, stories that demonstrate performance. We believe that, while mandatory disclosure requirements increase across the globe, they should not over-simplify disclosure as it’s important to provide a comprehensive view of the company and its progress.
The future belongs to practitioners who can navigate uncertainty and deliver value.
The challenge
Practitioners face competing demands, political polarization, scrutiny from both critics and advocates, and the need to balance long-term transformation with short-term business pressures. Resilience, influence and the ability to listen carefully to colleagues and stakeholders are essential leadership qualities. Sustainability leaders often work without direct authority over the functions they seek to influence, making collaboration and persuasion indispensable skills.
The future
Looking ahead, we argue that corporate sustainability has entered a new era characterized by accountability rather than aspiration. Voluntary initiatives are increasingly being replaced by mandatory standards, regulatory obligations, assurance requirements and legal consequences for non-disclosure. At the same time, sustainability is becoming more closely linked to business growth and competitiveness: decarbonization, resource efficiency, responsible innovation and sustainable products can generate significant economic value alongside environmental and social benefits.
The future sustainability landscape will be shaped by several powerful trends. Climate change is expected to intensify physical risks, leading companies to strengthen resilience, adapt their operations and manage increasingly complex supply chains. At the same time, the transition to a low-carbon economy will create major investment and growth opportunities in renewable energy, clean technologies and sustainable infrastructure.
Artificial intelligence will emerge as both a challenge and an opportunity. Sustainability practitioners will need to address the environmental footprint of AI systems, including energy consumption, water use and material demands, while also managing social risks such as workforce displacement, algorithmic bias and widening inequality. Yet AI also offers significant potential to improve sustainability performance through better emissions measurement, climate-risk analysis, supply-chain transparency, human-rights monitoring and biodiversity management.
Geopolitical fragmentation, demographic change and growing social inequality will further complicate the operating environment. Sustainability leaders will need stronger capabilities in regulatory intelligence, stakeholder engagement, scenario planning, corporate diplomacy and cross-functional collaboration. And as we have said, they can play a key role in helping businesses manage uncertainty while maintaining focus on long-term value creation.
The conclusion
We conclude with a fundamentally optimistic perspective. Although sustainability terminology, regulatory frameworks and political attitudes may evolve, the underlying drivers of sustainability remain deeply embedded in the realities facing modern businesses and societies. Climate science, resource constraints, stakeholder expectations and global reporting standards all point toward continued integration of sustainability into core business practice. The sustainability practitioner of the future must therefore act as strategist, integrator, communicator, and change agent – helping organizations navigate complexity while creating lasting value for shareholders, stakeholders and society alike.
Ultimately, our central message in the book is straightforward: sustainability is not a separate agenda but a fundamental way of running a successful business. The most effective practitioners are those who embed sustainability into the fabric of the organization, turning it from a specialist function into a driver of resilience, growth and long-term prosperity. Clarity, courage, energy and practical experience are needed for navigating these times.
In 2024, three seasoned sustainability leaders attended a sustainability event with a number of fellow practitioners, enjoying and participating in intense discussions on a range of topics. Inspired by the conversations, they decided to bring together their experiences, expertise and thinking, as well as those of many fellow practitioners, in a joint book, designed to equip practitioners, executives and board members with the clarity and confidence needed to lead sustainability in a time of disruption. Navigating the Business of Sustainability: A Practitioner’s Guide will be published by Elsevier in January 2027.
Key Takeaways
Make sustainability part of the business, not a separate agenda – connect it directly to strategy, value creation, risk management, resilience, innovation and financial performance.
Build strong foundations – focus on four essentials: strategic integration, clear governance and accountability, effective stakeholder engagement and credible reporting supported by reliable data.
Lead through influence, not authority – success depends on collaboration, persuasion, listening skills and change management, especially when working across functions.
Prepare for the era of accountability – sustainability is increasingly driven by regulation, disclosure requirements, assurance and measurable performance rather than voluntary commitments and aspirations.
Think like a strategist and integrator – the most effective practitioners help organizations navigate complexity while embedding sustainability into everyday decision-making and long-term business success.
Carrie Scott
is director of the Chief Social Impact Officers Council at The Conference Board. Before joining TCB, she built and led the global Sustainability and ESG Office at Novartis, guiding the company’s approach to environmental and social impact. She is based in Basel.
Dr Márcia Balisciano
is Chief Sustainability Officer at RELX Group. She is an author, board member and award-winning sustainability leader. She is host of The World We Want podcast and received her PHD in Economic History from the London School of Economics.
Dr Christian Leitz
UBS Chief Sustainability Officer, drives the firm’s sustainability strategy across its pillars of Protect, Grow and Attract. He also serves as Secretary to the UBS Group AG Board’s Corporate Culture and Responsibility Committee and as UBS Group Historian.