Here are the three value adds of your sustainability strategy – other than reducing harm

What if your sustainability strategy could become a driver of commercialisation, resilience and employee engagement? Beyond reducing negative environmental impacts, a sustainability strategy shapes how your company leads, adapts and grows.

A sustainability strategy is increasingly tied to regulatory requirements and customer expectations. While it’s often framed around reducing negative impacts on people and planet, what if we looked beyond that?

What other value can a sustainability strategy bring to a company?

Driving growth and entering new markets

With a robust sustainability strategy in place, companies can reinforce their position in current markets and tap into emerging ones. Take the circular economy as one example – this market is expected to grow by 78% and reach €263 billion by 2030, offering clear commercial opportunities for frontrunners.

It’s also a growth driver. A strong sustainability strategy can attract investment, open premium markets, and increase resilience.

For example, Unilever’s Sustainable Living Brands grew 69% faster than the rest of the business, and companies with stronger ESG score see a 10% lower cost of capital on average.

Managing risks and increasing resilience

Many companies face increasing pressure from stakeholders to report on their emissions, supply chains or environmental and social impacts. Without a well-defined sustainability strategy, responding to these demands becomes reactive and disorganised.

This lack of structure not only creates inefficiencies, but also introduces business risks such as losing clients, facing regulatory penalties, or reputational damage.

What a stuck cargo ship revealed about risk   

Risks rarely occur in isolation. Supply chain disruptions, natural disasters, and climate-related events often cascade and amplify one another, exposing vulnerabilities. Beyond compliance, companies are now pressured to anticipate change and adapt.

The Ever Given, a cargo ship that blocked the Suez Canal and disrupted 12% of global trade, illustrated this clearly. It wasn’t just a shipping crisis but a supply chain crisis, a production delay, a cost increase and a reputational risk all at once – exposing deep vulnerabilities.

The lesson? Businesses must recognise and prepare for interconnected risks.

Companies that approach sustainability as a strategic priority, rather than a reactive checklist, are better positioned to navigate disruption and change. This means building adaptable systems, providing teams with tools and insights they need and fostering a culture where people understand how sustainability connects to the company’s long-term resilience and direction.

Moving from a compliance-driven approach to a risk-aware, growth-focused sustainability strategy is the key to resilience, innovation, and long-term stability.

Purpose-driven companies attract purpose-driven talent

A sustainability strategy is only as strong as the people behind it. Allowing employees to help shape the sustainability initiatives, not just carry them out, brings a deeper sense of ownership and motivation.

Purpose-driven work attracts purpose-driven people, as more employees want to work for companies with values that reflect with their own. In Europe, 59% of workers say they wouldn’t want to work for an employer that doesn’t match their personal values.

Strong leadership brings your sustainability strategy to life

Organisations placing sustainability at the heart of their business signals a long-term commitment to protecting the environment, the wellbeing of society and their own workforce. However, purpose alone is not enough.

A strong sustainability strategy requires leadership support and the right structures to bring it to life. Leaders taking visible roles, both internally and externally, show that sustainability is not just a side initiative but a strategic priority that guides the company’s direction.

Through this, sustainability strategies not only assist in meeting targets. They shape how a company acts and grows. They create alignment, fuel momentum, and strengthen the organisation from the inside out. Integrating sustainability into all parts of the organisation, not just a department but as a shared mindset, is key to building resilient forward-looking organisations.

Sustainability strategy is business strategy

Embedding sustainability in both culture and operations opens doors to new markets and more resilient business models. It also brings out the best in people, signalling a clear commitment to purpose, attracting talent and building leadership from within.

A sustainability strategy that connects people, purpose and business performance becomes more than a set of goals. It’s a catalyst for alignment, innovation and resilience, laying the foundation for long-term value creation by enabling companies to adapt to change, engage their workforce and grow with purpose. Together, this creates a clear commercial win.