The Politics of Sustainability Have Changed. The Business Case Hasn’t.

Corporate sustainability appears to be in a bit of a slump. ESG has become a political liability, sustainability teams are shrinking, and many executives have shifted their attention to AI, economic uncertainty, and regulatory fragmentation.

So why are private equity firms—investors with little patience for initiatives that do not pay—still putting money behind sustainability?

Why are corporate decarbonization commitments continuing to grow, with 82% of companies keeping or even accelerating their commitments, according to PwC’s State of Decarbonization Report?

Read the full Harvard Business Review article.
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Tensie Whelan is Distinguished Professor of Practice Emerita and Founding Director of the Center for Sustainable Business.