Every week, it seems, someone declares that ESG is dead/dying. Or that Net Zero is over. Or that sustainability is in crisis.
The thing I found interesting about most of these posts is the timeline, suggesting we’ve only been doing this since 2015 or 2018, and that somehow we’ve forgotten the foundations that were there beforehand upon which the “boom” of the last 7 or so years was built.
If you’ve worked in this space for long enough, you’ve seen cycles of change before – yes, the industry is larger now, but all things are relative.
We go from bold commitments to political pushback, from rising investment to regulatory scrutiny, from optimism to frustration.
And here we are again, watching the sustainability sector tie itself in knots over what acronyms still matter while the world outside our echo chamber just wants us to get on with it.
I do find it hard pushed to genuinely find a large group of society that doesn’t ultimately want to protect our home or live in a world where we are all kinder to each other. I will suspend for a moment, the debate on what achieving those two things looks like.
Let’s be clear: sustainability isn’t dead, but it is evolving. ESG as a phrase will probably be used less, but that’s ok, acronyms don’t help us.
And if we learn the right lessons from the latest cycle – about impact, credibility, and bringing people with us – maybe, just maybe, we end up somewhere better (see what needs to change section later).
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: most of the world doesn’t care about our acronyms.
People care about clean air, secure energy, affordable food, stable jobs, and a future their kids can thrive in. They don’t lie awake at night worrying about whether ESG is the right term for sustainable business, or if the latest reporting framework has been consolidated.
It’s time as a sector that we find a way to be more relatable/fundamentally easier to use.
We have to acknowledge that much of our dialogue has become internally focused – debating terminology, arguing over disclosure standards, obsessing over whether sustainability is “winning” or “losing.” Meanwhile, the real challenge is not how we label it, but how we make it work.
I’m not dismissing that we need to sort out our standards in the background, that’s an ingredient of what maturing looks like, but we have to to acknowledge we’ve got bigger problems if we want to create meaningful change.
This is what we need to fix.
If you’re new to sustainability, the last few years might feel like a wild ride – a boom of corporate commitments, green finance, and Net Zero pledges, followed by backlash, greenwashing scandals, and political pushback.
But if you’ve been around long enough, you know this isn’t new.
Sustainability doesn’t move in straight lines—it moves in cycles (summarised below in the best way I can):
Where are we today? Somewhere between steps 6 and 7. 7 only really starts when we accept the need to “grow up”.
The latest sustainability boom – fuelled by the ESG explosion, Net Zero pledges, and climate finance – has hit a wall of reality.
This moment is critical. If we get this transition right, we move into a more effective, lasting phase of sustainability.
So how do we ensure the next phase is as strong as possible? How do we put our best foot forward?
Sustainability has become too bureaucratic, too technical, too distant from real-world action. We need to strip back the excess and focus on what works.
Example: Instead of endless ESG reporting debates, let’s focus on delivering actual emissions reductions, supply chain improvements, and sustainable job creation. All these things done well create value/financial benefits.
Sustainability can’t survive on goodwill alone. It needs to be economically viable, politically stable, and beneficial to the majority.
Example: The energy transition must be framed as a jobs and security strategy, not just a climate strategy – because if it’s framed as “sacrifice,” it will lose. People, as a general rule, don’t like to lose.
We have to drop the things that undermine the good work – overhyped claims, weak business cases, excessive box-ticking, and the idea that businesses must be perfect rather than making real progress.
Example: Declaring a target with no credible action plan is worse than useless – because it breeds cynicism and distrust. I’d rather see organisations setting targets “silently” (rather than making bold statements without the work) if they haven’t got a plan.
Sustainability has become too corporate, too elite, too disconnected from everyday life (the uncomfortable truth is action is biased to big business, wealthier people, and sometimes centred around solutions society at large simply cannot afford). If we don’t bring the public with us, we will fail.
Example: Most people care more about cheaper energy bills, clean local rivers, and secure jobs. As much as I value the importance of disclosure – it’s not the engagement change we are all looking for. We have to connect sustainability to what actually matters to people.
Too much sustainability work is long-term ambition with no near-term urgency. We need to shift from 2050 targets to 2025, 2030, and 2035 milestones that deliver visible change.
Example: The UK’s 2030 gas boiler ban was watered down because it failed to show how people would afford the switch. The lesson? If we set goals without clear delivery plans, they won’t stick.
Sustainability only succeeds if it works for the majority of people. That means:
Practical, relatable solutions – not just corporate strategy.
Affordability and accessibility – not just ambition.
Visible progress – not just reporting.
This transition isn’t about winning an ideological battle (much as those in the political sphere would tell us otherwise, it does seem best if we take as much politics out of this as we can).
It’s about building a sustainable future that makes sense for society as a whole.
We’re not in a crisis. We’re growing up.
The “ESG boom” was never going to last forever – no phase does. But if we learn from it, if we take the best of what worked and strip out the wasteful things and particularly stop the silly stuff. We can build something more durable, more credible, and more effective.
The challenge is clear: Make sustainability into a real-world transformation
If we can, this next phase will be the foundation for something that will be critical to address the urgent challenges in front of us, and what’s more, it will be better for everyone (inside and outside the Sustainability world).
What to take away:
Written By Simon Alsbury 
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