The Sustainability Reset
Over the past weeks, I’ve embarked on a listening tour of sorts — meeting with global CEOs, business leaders, and sustainability practitioners to understand what the market needs right now.
I won’t sugarcoat it... it’s been sobering at times. Many companies are frozen by uncertainty, political instability, and fears of taking the wrong step. Some sustainability teams are being dismantled. “The pendulum has swung too far on ESG,” one CEO told me, “but it will come back.” The question is — in what form?
From where I sit, we’re experiencing a hangover from a period of commitments without plans, top-heavy central sustainability teams with undefined ROI, and a lack of recognition that trade-offs are inevitable– and necessary.
And yet, one thing has come through loud and clear. As the latest Deloitte 2025 C-Suite Sustainability Report confirmed, sustainability remains a top priority. Leaders not only want to do the right thing; they recognize the business case.
We’re in a period of massive transformation. It’s not just sustainability teams feeling it — corporate restructuring, M&A, the rise of AI, and generational wealth transfers are rewriting the rules. As sustainability practitioners, we either adapt — or risk becoming obsolete.
Despite recent headlines like The Reinvention of the Chief Sustainability Officer in the Financial Times, the need for this role isn’t disappearing — it’s evolving. The modern CSO isn’t a figurehead. They’re expert, strategic operators who understand the business, know how to integrate and mobilize sustainability across functions, and create long-term business value.
Making sustainability a compliance-led activity, juniorizing roles while failing to appoint a senior advisor and advocate, or dismantling teams might save costs short-term, but it’s already costing companies millions — lost RFPs, missed revenue opportunities, damaged reputations, and failed projects.
What’s needed now is hands-on, business-led sustainability leadership — the kind that connects ambition to execution.
That’s where Hallwood Sustainability comes in. Through fractional leadership and advisory, I help organizations get unstuck, modernize their approach for today’s realities, and build the internal alignment needed to turn commitments into business-led results.
💭 If you’re facing similar challenges or want to redefine what sustainability leadership looks like in your organization, I’d love to hear from you.
