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Moving sustainability from resiliency to resurgence

Exactly a year ago, hundreds of sustainability professionals came to the Business Design Centre for edie 25. Come the end of the two-day event, delegates were asked to describe the sustainability movement in one word. The resounding, one-word way to describe sustainability was “resilience”.

edie25, which took place at the London Design Centre last March

Resilience for sustainability professionals can be both a business outlook and a personal mantra.

Sustainability is being critically analysed; heightened reporting and disclosure requirements are placing greater emphasis on data and transparency, while the optics of the net-zero movement have suffered from disinformation in the media and some major companies scaling back commitments due to political winds in the US.

We at edie are striving to prove that sustainability is merely in a “winter” and that a resurgence in activity, investment and ambition will occur in 2026. This has been made harder by more geopolitical unrest. The conflict in Iran has escalated oil and gas prices, creating more confusion and uncertainty for energy infrastructure and supply chains.

This report, launched exclusively for Members at edie 26, aims to showcase how sustainability leadership is changing in the face of new external pressures, and how the movement can shift from resiliency to resurgence.

We’ve surged past the halfway point of the ‘decade of delivery,’ and now we must work harder, dig deeper, and collaborate smarter. Based on responses from more than 200 sustainability practitioners, this report suggests how that can happen.

Our Sustainability Resurgence report also features insight from our newly formed edie 100 cohort of impactful business leaders. Quotes from these business leaders are included throughout to remind you that change is possible and results can be tangible.

“Hold yourself and others accountable; it’s essential that narratives around climate combine realism with agency, responsibility and common ground. In a time of division, finding points of agreement can ensure we continue to move forward.”

Katharine Viner Editor-in-Chief The Guardian Media Group

edie’s latest survey explore the current state of play of business strategies and how external factors are reprioritising areas of action. It also explores the role of the sustainability department and how well equipped it is to deal with an ever-growing remit. Finally, we explore the role of leadership and how individuals can address skills gaps and change their own role from one of trying to influence business decisions, to one that is orchestrating corporate climate action.

Read on to explore the biggest drivers, challenges and opportunities facing the world of sustainable business right now, with a special focus on reporting, policy changes and internal focus areas.

“This is your chance to be part of a once-in-a-generation effort to transform our economy and society, building prosperity whilst operating within planetary boundaries. No-one said it would be easy, but we can do it.”

Ashok Sinha CEO Ashden Climate Solutions