Navigating Uncertainty: How Sustainability Leaders are Driving Forward in 2025 

At the start of 2025, the road ahead for sustainability practitioners in the United States looked uncertain and challenging. Increased criticism and skepticism of environmental, social and governance (ESG), and the new administration’s pullback on environmental regulations and sustainability commitments are making it tough to keep sustainability front of mind and continue the momentum around environmental progress.  

In early February, over 2,000 sustainability professionals and leaders from across industries and major companies gathered at the Greenbiz25 conference to connect and discuss how to navigate the unpredictable political, social and economic environment. Throughout the three-day conference, conversations centered around how to “meet this moment” and drive forward.  

Here are three key approaches corporate sustainability leaders are leveraging to continue the work they’re passionate about and bring others along with them.  

Establishing Their Team as an Important Driver of Business Value.

Integrating sustainability into business practices can drive value by enhancing operational efficiency, reducing costs and uncovering new ways to connect with existing and potential customers. Successful sustainability teams are able to speak in ways that resonate with business leadership—particularly the C-Suite and the board—and demonstrate the return on investment of sustainability efforts in quantifiable data.  

Additionally, more sustainable practices can have tangible benefits on employees’ day-to-day work, increasing retention and job satisfaction. Again, successful companies in this space are leading with those benefits when engaging with employees as opposed to focusing on values-based benefits. For example, electric trucks are better for the environment, but they also have a smoother ride. When managing the switch to the new tractors for drivers, the focus is on the quieter vehicle and the smoother ride, which positively impacts the drivers’ direct role.  

Pushing to Move Beyond Reporting.

A recent study from The Conference Board found that while climate change was among the top two external risks identified by CEOs, chief executives in the United States anticipated less significant business impact from disclosures. Corporate disclosures focused on ESG practices are a useful tool to enhance transparency, accountability and, for some companies, bring the rigor needed in terms of collecting and reviewing data, and then analyzing risks and opportunities, but these disclosures are the not end game. To remain relevant, successful sustainability leaders are showing that their role extends beyond the report.   

As one chief sustainability officer at the event shared, their job is not to ensure environmental compliance and reports, it’s to set goals that inspire the company to innovate and push what’s possible, to create better products and deliver in new and better ways for customers. For example, sustainable products often have other attributes that resonate with what consumers are prioritizing—including longevity, durability and quality. When promoting better products, successful companies are highlighting all of these attributes, not just the environmental ones.  In some cases, companies are refining how they target these attributes to different consumer groups and dropping promoting the environmental benefit if it isn’t resonating.  

Leading Better Collaboration Across Their Organizations and Industries

Yes, sustainability leaders want to break out from “just reporting” but at the same time, leading reporting allows them to play a unique corporate convening role. An effective disclosure strategy starts by bringing together leaders from across the business as well as mid-level subject matter experts (SMEs) that can speak to the details of operations. Impactful sustainability leaders are nurturing these relationships beyond the reporting cycle and facilitating cross-functional problem solving and innovation. When it comes time to implement changes, if you’ve taken the time to understand the metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) that various business units are measured against, and aligning new initiatives as supportive of those, rather than proposing additive metrics, it’s easier to get buy-in. 

Finally, companies leading on sustainability are acting as conveners and creating a space to share information and unlock solutions more quickly, creating a better industry overall and reducing supply chain risks. Competitors face the same systemic industry and supply chain challenges. Coming together to address these challenges and work through solutions benefits everyone and can accelerate the rate of progress. Partnering with peers in a pre-competitive way also helps brands show authenticity in their sustainability efforts—demonstrating that they’re a part of tackling problems consumers care about ahead of simply finding a business edge. 

In conclusion, despite the challenges and uncertainties faced by sustainability practitioners in the United States, corporate sustainability leaders are continuing to find ways to drive progress. By establishing their teams as key drivers of business value, moving beyond a primary focus on reporting and fostering better collaboration across organizations and industries, they continue to inspire and lead the way toward a more sustainable future.