Sustainability in Corporate Practices

Fortescue is rapidly electrifying its mining fleet – and starting to displace diesel at scale. It has just added a 15th electric excavator to its fleet, with each unit saving the company 1 million litres of diesel every year. This is what decarbonising heavy industry looks like – not pilot projects, but operational equipment displacing large volumes of fossil fuels. And the economics already stack up: ✅ Fuel is a major operating cost → replacing diesel with electricity reduces ongoing expenditure ✅ High utilisation → equipment runs for long hours, improving the economics of electrification ✅ Dedicated renewable supply → mines are increasingly powered by wind, solar and storage, reducing exposure to diesel price volatility These excavators are tethered by an electric cord to Fortescue's power supply, a practical solution for high-power, continuous operation today. And that power supply is shifting. Traditionally diesel, it is now being rapidly replaced by renewables and storage. Fuel and energy are both Fortescue's largest operating cost and largest source of emissions. Electrifying equipment like this tackles both at once. This is also how Fortescue plans to reach its 2030 “real zero” target – by systematically replacing diesel across its operations. Mining is one of the most energy-intensive sectors in the economy. When electrification works here, the impact is disproportionate. And it doesn’t happen all at once. It starts with individual machines, where the economics and operational constraints align – and then scales across the system.

🚛 WHEN TRANSPORT LEARNS TO THINK GREEN I came across a concept today that stopped me — an autonomous hydrogen truck-trailer drone designed for long-distance freight. At first, it looked like another futuristic vehicle. But then it hit me: this isn’t just transport evolving — it’s intent evolving. For decades, we’ve designed logistics around speed and scale. Now we’re finally designing around sustainability. This new concept merges autonomy, aerodynamics, and hydrogen power to do something radical: → Eliminate carbon emissions in heavy freight. → Cut operational energy costs through intelligent routing. → Reduce highway congestion with coordinated drone convoys. It’s not just engineering — it’s a shift in philosophy. A move from moving faster to moving responsibly. We often talk about “green tech” as a feature — but the real shift happens when sustainability becomes the invisible infrastructure behind innovation. It’s not an addition to progress. It is progress. What’s needed now isn’t more invention — it’s integration. We need to: ✅ Build networks where clean energy and automation reinforce each other. ✅ Redefine “efficiency” to include environmental balance. ✅ Shift from carbon offsetting to carbon prevention at design level. Because the next breakthrough won’t come from faster engines — but from systems that make waste impossible by design. That’s when technology stops being an experiment in innovation… and becomes an expression of intelligence. So here’s the question I keep returning to — 👉 Will the next era of transport be powered by fuel — or by foresight? #Innovation #Sustainability #Hydrogen #AutonomousVehicles #GreenTech #Logistics #FutureThinking

Is sustainability still a core business priority? Absolutely and the data proves it! 💰 Budgets are up. 💡 ROI is measurable. 📈 Value creation is real. What's good for the planet is good for business EcoVadis July 2025: 87% of U.S. companies are increasing or maintaining sustainability budgets, viewing it as a competitive growth driver, even if some are "greenhushing" https://lnkd.in/eP6fF2wR Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP) July 2025: Fewer than 2% of organisations cut budgets, while over 40% increased spend, a clear signal of momentum https://lnkd.in/edS4uQVi Morgan Stanley June 2025: 88% of companies see sustainability as a long-term value driver, and 80%+ are tracking measurable ROI - it's no longer just about compliance; it's about profit and resilience. https://lnkd.in/emggb58t Forbes April 2025: Nearly a third of executives rank sustainability first on the C-suite agenda, with 89% planning to increase their sustainability budgets https://lnkd.in/eUNKeyDx PwC March 2025: Products with sustainability attributes drive 6–25%+ more revenue; 37% of companies are ramping up climate ambition https://lnkd.in/ex7XTbSs Deloitte Sept 2024: 85% of organisations increased sustainability investments (up from 75% in 2023), showing deepening C-suite commitment. https://lnkd.in/e35qWg37 The signal is clear: sustainability isn’t just surviving, it’s scaling. But we need to keep focused on execution, impact, and proving the value we know is there. What trends are you seeing? #Sustainability #Leadership #ClimateAction #ClimateCrisis

Actions to Reduce Scope 3 Emissions 🌎 Scope 3 emissions typically account for the largest share of a company's carbon footprint, covering indirect emissions across the entire value chain. Addressing them effectively requires a multifaceted approach that engages suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders. This framework outlines clear actions across key Scope 3 categories, ranging from procurement to investments. Each action is categorized into three progressive levels, encouraging companies to start with quick wins and advance toward deeper integration and systemic change. In purchasing and capital goods, strategies include substituting high-GHG materials and equipment, applying GHG criteria in investment decisions, and engaging suppliers to standardize emissions reporting. These measures aim to embed sustainability criteria across the sourcing process. For energy-related activities and transportation, reducing energy consumption, switching to lower-emission fuels, and electrifying fleets play a critical role. While some listed actions—such as on-site renewable generation—typically fall under Scope 1 or 2, they remain integral to broader decarbonization strategies. Operational waste and product lifecycle emissions require both upstream and downstream interventions. Companies can minimize waste at source, enhance recycling processes, and design for recyclability, ensuring materials remain in circulation and emissions are mitigated across product life cycles. Business travel, employee commuting, and leased assets offer opportunities to reduce emissions through virtual collaboration tools, promotion of public transport, retrofitting for energy efficiency, and improving facility operations—highlighting the value of internal policies and infrastructure upgrades. Downstream logistics and product use demand focused improvements in logistics efficiency and product energy performance. Encouraging efficient product use and adopting low-GHG energy sources can reduce the footprint associated with sold goods and services. Franchise and investment-related emissions emphasize the importance of supporting energy-efficient operations and prioritizing low-carbon investment portfolios. Channeling funding into clean tech and applying rigorous climate criteria to investment decisions are essential for long-term impact. The success of Scope 3 reduction strategies depends not only on technical interventions but also on clear governance and collaboration frameworks. Accurate data collection, traceability, and continuous engagement across the value chain ensure sustained progress. Comprehensive Scope 3 management is vital for achieving credible net-zero targets. This framework provides a roadmap to operationalize reductions, integrating climate action into the heart of corporate strategy and ensuring alignment with global decarbonization goals. #sustainability #sustainable #business #esg #emissions

The New York Times profiled a start-up with 28 employees serving nearly 50 million users. That company is us. The traditional startup playbook: raise massive funding, hire hundreds of employees, and worry about profitability "later." But there's another way. Everyone at Gamma could fit in a small restaurant. We're not just surviving—we've been profitable for 15+ consecutive months, with revenue growing month over month, and lifetime negative net burn (we have more money in the bank than we've raised). This isn't an accident. We've deliberately designed our organization to maximize impact per person. Instead of creating specialist silos, we hire versatile generalists who can solve problems across domains. Rather than building management hierarchies, we find player-coaches who both lead and execute. Our team leverages AI tools throughout our workflow - Claude for data analysis, Cursor for coding efficiency, NotebookLM for customer research synthesis. These aren't just productivity hacks; they're force multipliers. Examples: — When our growth PM needed better analytics, he didn't file a ticket with a data team—he built a self-serve system that anyone can use without SQL knowledge. — When our marketing lead needed to understand our customers better, she fed thousands of interactions into an LLM and created actionable personas that now guide our entire strategy. — When our design team needs to test a hypothesis, we create a rapid prototype and show it to our power users. What we're seeing isn't just about "doing more with less." It's about fundamentally changing what's possible per person. The most valuable employees aren't specialists who excel in narrow domains - they're resourceful problem-solvers who continuously expand their capabilities. This approach creates remarkable resilience. Since everyone understands multiple functions, we don't have single points of failure when someone leaves or moves to another project. If you're building today, the question isn't how quickly you can scale headcount … it's how much impact you can create with the smallest possible team. The future belongs to tiny teams of extraordinary people.

Is sustainability dying? As we start 2025, the United States has once again withdrawn from the Paris Agreement and key financial institutions have exited decarbonization alliances. All this has happened against the backdrop of record global temperatures and unprecedented climate disasters. From my recent conversations with sustainability leaders and executives in the financial sector, the answer is clear: no, sustainability is not dying—it is evolving. The challenges of today are not stopping progress but rather shaping a more mature, embedded, and economically driven approach to sustainability. In 2025, we are seeing three key shifts with big implications for businesses: 1. A move away from high-profile public commitments toward quieter, results-focused action. 2. The integration of sustainability into core business functions, making it part of the everyday fabric of firms. 3. A stronger focus on sustainability as a driver of economic opportunity and client value. These shifts demonstrate how sustainability roles and actions are developing and the ways in which they inform how firms operate in a rapidly changing world. #sustainability #sustainablebusiness #esg Forbes

I interviewed 20 sustainability managers 🎙️ That's their #1 pain point 🤕 ➡️ "Reporting is 1st. Impact is 2nd". Challenges that I can see with sustainability in companies: ❌ Competing frameworks confuse. ❌ Data collection becomes more important than actual impact ❌ Disconnect between reporting teams and operational teams ❌ Excessive time spent on documentation. ❌ Risk of greenwashing through selective reporting (I am sure you have your observations to add🙄) 5 secrets to turn this into the biggest opportunity for change: ✅ Use reporting to clarify sustainability vision 100%. ✅ Identify in-company 'spoilers' - and engage them! ✅ Change sustainability reporting from 'a burden' for all, to an 'invitation to do good' for each individual. ✅ Turn deadlines into celebration moments for internal change. ✅ Use data requirements as opportunities to understand the entire value chain (and opportunities for change). You know the pain ?🧐 📲 Ping me to re-write the script on your sustainability reporting ♻️ #circulareconomy #zerowaste #sustainability

It’s an incredible time to be a leader. No two days are the same with new ideas and challenges coming at you all the time.    Each year, for the last ten years, we’ve spoken to over 1,300 CEOs from across various industries, countries and continents to better understand what drives them, how they are navigating challenges and their views on the greatest risks to growth, as part of our #CEOoutlook survey.    This year’s survey reveals that while confidence in the global economy remains high, it has waned – from 93 percent in 2015 to 72 percent today. Despite this, business leaders continue to show impressive resolve in steering their companies through this era of volatility and transformation. Their strategies and priorities offer a glimpse into the decade ahead.    From the economic and social shockwaves of the pandemic to surging inflation, geopolitical tensions and the rise of AI, leaders have had to adapt to several once-in-a-generation moments happening all at the same time.    The magnitude of these challenges has redefined leadership, requiring CEOs to be more resilient, agile and innovative than ever before.    For me, CEOs navigating the next decade will face four key things: a bold embrace of AI, a renewed commitment to ESG and sustainability as a source of value creation, a deep focus on their people, and an ability to balance competing stakeholder demands.    AI stands at the heart of the current CEO agenda and it’s part of every single conversation I have with our clients. This year’s findings show that 64 percent of CEOs are prioritizing investment in the technology.    However, this optimism is tempered by a sobering view of the immediate impacts. A significant majority (76 percent) of CEOs believe #AI will not fundamentally alter job numbers yet only 38 percent feel their employees are prepared and ready with the skills they need to fully reap the benefits. So, while AI has tremendous transformative potential, its success rests on aligning the rapid technological developments with workforce readiness and ethical considerations.    Another big feature from the last decade has been the rise of #ESG considerations, shifting from a peripheral concern to a central strategic pillar. Nearly a quarter of CEOs see failing to meet ESG targets as a significant competitive disadvantage. Despite the growing politicization of the issues, 76 percent are willing to make tough decisions, such as divesting profitable but reputation-damaging parts of their business to uphold their commitments.   The next decade will, without a doubt, produce its own storms. I believe that the CEOs who set bold strategies and invest in the right technologies to make these plans a reality, will be the ones who deliver sustainable growth for the long-term. https://lnkd.in/gDTiuGUV

The European Parliament has officially passed Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation that fundamentally shifts the responsibility for textile waste management to fashion brands and retailers – with far-reaching global implications. This new law requires all producers, including e-commerce platforms, to cover the full cost of collecting, sorting, and recycling textiles, regardless of whether they are based within or outside the EU. The financial burden of Europe's textile waste now falls squarely on the brands that create it. What are the critical business implications? UNIVERSAL SCOPE: The legislation applies to all producers selling in the EU market, including those of clothing, accessories, footwear, home textiles, and curtains. No company is exempt based on location. FAST FASHION PENALTY: Member states must specifically address ultra-fast and fast fashion practices when determining EPR financial contributions, creating cost penalties for unsustainable business models. GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTION: As the world's largest textile importer, the EU's new rules will ripple across global supply chains, particularly impacting exporters from Bangladesh, Vietnam, China, and India who supply much of Europe's fast fashion. TIMELINE PRESSURE: Officially adopted September 2025, this creates immediate operational and financial planning requirements. COMPETITIVE RESHAPING: Brands and retailers will inevitably pass increased costs down their supply chains, fundamentally altering supplier relationships and pricing structures globally. What are the implications for various stakeholders? For CEOs and board members: This represents more than regulatory compliance – it's a complete business model transformation. Companies must now integrate end-of-life costs into product pricing, rethink supplier partnerships, and accelerate circular design strategies. For sustainability and decarbonisation executives: This creates unprecedented opportunities for circular economy solutions, sustainable material innovation, and traceability system development across global supply chains. Link: https://lnkd.in/dTyHtHuD #sustainablefashion #circulareconomy #textilwaste #epr #fashionindustry #sustainability #supplychainmanagement #fastfashion #environmentalregulation #businessstrategy #decarbonisation #textilerecycling #fashionceos #boardgovernance #climateaction #wastemanagement #producerresponsibility #fashionsustainability #textileindustry #greenbusiness

💬 “Forget the CSRD + Omnibus. The real pressure comes from the financial markets.” Why investors – not politics – will shape your sustainability path. While political debates stall progress on the EU’s #CSRD directive – and the so-called “Omnibus” tries to water it down – the capital markets have quietly moved ahead. They are already setting stricter, more specific, and faster demands than any regulation on paper. And one player in particular is leading the way: 👉 Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM) – the manager of Norway’s sovereign wealth fund. That may sound niche. But it’s not. #NBIM is: Europe’s largest single shareholder, with stakes in over 9,000 companies across 70 countries Holding around 1.5% of all globally listed equities Managing €1.5 trillion in assets – making it one of the most influential institutional investors in the world And NBIM has clear ESG expectations. Not vague commitments. But specific, non-negotiable requirements – that are increasingly being enforced. Just three examples from a long list of very specific, investor-driven #ESG demands: ✅ Science-based net zero targets by 2050 – including Scope 3 emissions ✅ Governance and board oversight of sustainability performance ✅ Quantitative transition plans, aligned with the company’s core business model And it doesn’t stop at asking nicely. NBIM has a clear escalation path: Engagement and dialogue Voting against boards or sustainability-related resolutions Divestment from non-compliant companies – and public listing on their exclusion list This is no longer a soft conversation. It’s a form of market discipline. So even if your company isn’t (yet) required to report under CSRD: 💡 You’re still expected to deliver #transparency. By investors. By clients. By banks and rating agencies. And more than that: You’re expected to show how sustainability is part of your #transformation strategy. Not just a report. Not just a department. But a core capability. 🧭 Waiting for politics to decide your ESG agenda is a risky strategy. The market has already made up its mind. 👉 How is your organization preparing for this shift? Let’s move beyond compliance – and talk about readiness. What do you think, Andreas Rasche? Ludovic Flandin? Andreas Wieland?