Reclaiming the lost corporate sustainability narrative

In this timely Thinking Out Loud episode, host Mike Hower examines the evolving landscape of corporate sustainability as we enter 2025, offering a candid assessment of the shift from the "ESG Golden Age" to today's more complex reality. Drawing from his extensive experience in sustainability communications, Mike presents six key strategies for companies to reclaim their sustainability narrative: acknowledging trade-offs, focusing on material impact, bridging economic and environmental concerns, emphasizing practical solutions, breaking out of echo chambers, and embracing humility about private sector limitations. Despite highlighting significant challenges, including missed emissions targets and record-breaking temperatures, Mike maintains optimism, pointing to strong public support for corporate climate action and advocating for a more mature, honest approach to sustainability communication that balances acknowledging difficulties with maintaining commitment to necessary change.Read 6 strategies for finding corporate sustainability’s lost narrative in 2025Check out the recent Pew poll on climate change sentiments in the U.S. Order Sustainability Storytelling — Mike's book about communicating sustainability in businessFollow Mike on LinkedIn to stay updated on his regular insights on sustainability storytellingSubscribe to The Sustainability Story on Substack for more in-depth analysis of sustainability communication challenges and practical advice on how to overcome themGot a guest or topic idea? Reach out at howerimpact.com/contact