That was the provocative question posed by Trellis founder and corporate sustainability statesman, Joel Makower, in his opening keynote address at this year’s GreenBiz conference in Phoenix.
Thousands of the nation’s leading experts gather each year at GreenBiz to prognosticate on sustainable business trends. Yet make no mistake. This is not a normal year. The Trump Administration has put corporate America and advocacy organizations into a defensive posture, with attacks on longstanding efforts to promote clean energy and the climate transition, environmental protection, and diversity – efforts that form the bedrock of corporate ESG programs.
The fact that thousands of sustainability experts even showed up this year at GreenBiz was a reason to celebrate. We all could have never packed up, and simply stayed home.
But there was a steely determination from those that assembled. In my experience, individuals that choose corporate sustainability as a career have a flame that burns deep within. A desire to make an impact and leave the world in a better place is difficult to extinguish, no matter what obstacles and challenges are placed in the way.
That was certainly the vibe at GreenBiz. There was a recognition that without federal leadership on climate over the next four years, states, companies and individuals will have to step it up. There is no “Plan B” - no other option to contain the dangerous effects of climate change that grow more dire with each passing year of inaction.
Discomfort comes from being pushed outside one’s comfort zone. For corporate executives, the zone of comfort is defined by the conventional expectations of shareholders and boards. Discomfort, therefore, will come from being pushed to work against the grain, to try something new, or go above and beyond in ambition.
Sustainability leaders will need to get more familiar with using discomfort as a tool, if they are to be successful at maintaining their roles and responsibilities. For many corporate executives today, the easiest path will be to choose short term profitability and bend with the winds. We have already seen this in the behavior of some companies’ decisions to scrap their climate, ESG, and DEI programs. These decisions need to be made more uncomfortable.
However, I’d argue that the main value of discomfort is to keep the conversation going, and that there’s also a need for logic and data. Speaker after speaker at GreenBiz said that over the next few years, a key role for sustainability teams will be to emphasize how sustainability and climate programs create material business benefits. REI and eBay, for example, shared stories about how they are working to convert “conscious consumers” into consistent customers that reward their companies for leadership positions on climate and sustainability.
Our recent technical revisions to the 2025 certification standard for The Climate Label were rooted in a belief that sustainability values will create shareholder value. Many investments that lower carbon emissions - think energy efficiency, clean energy investments, fleet electrification, product waste minimization - help cut costs that directly benefit the bottom line.
As long as discomfort can keep the door open, The Climate Label will give sustainability leaders a strong framework to invest in the climate transition, and make the smart business decision to address the climate concerns of a growing majority of Americans in the process.
Let’s keep having those uncomfortable conversations. In the long run, they’ll create value.
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Our partnerships leader, Greg brings nearly two decades of nonprofit experience working on corporate, consumer, and policy solutions to the climate crisis. He loves to find opportunities for uncommon bedfellows to work together to protect the environment. Greg and his family can be found exploring the mountains and coast in North Carolina and searching out epic wilderness areas in Argentina.
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