Breaking the sustainability stalemate: Profit, purpose, and the courage to change

Last year, global food giant JBS made headlines with its “net zero by 2040” pledge – and soon after, faced lawsuits and media scrutiny over the credibility of its plan. The episode exposed a hard truth: bold sustainability promises mean little without the strategy, structure, and courage to deliver them.

It’s a dilemma facing countless organisations today. The business case for sustainability has never been stronger – 88% of CEOs say it’s more compelling now than five years ago, and 97% expect to integrate it into core strategy and leadership pay by 2050, according to a UN Global Compact and Accenture study. Yet only half feel confident communicating their progress.

That gap between ambition and action reveals the deeper problem: traditional business models were never designed for sustainability. They reward short-term returns, not long-term resilience. They measure performance by quarterly results, not ecosystem health. And while the tools to act responsibly exist, most organisations still struggle to translate intent into impact.

The leadership paradox

True transformation requires leaders who think differently – those willing to challenge conventions, experiment, and learn from failure. But many are constrained by legacy metrics and shareholder expectations. Bound by KPIs, they default to incremental improvement instead of systemic change. The result? Sustainability becomes a side initiative rather than a driver of growth.

The systemic deadlock

While ESG frameworks and target-setting have driven progress, they’ve also exposed an uncomfortable tension. In the short term, it can still seem more profitable to maintain unsustainable practices – to prioritise cost-cutting and quarterly results over transformation.

But appearances can be deceiving. The real cost of inaction is rising fast. Businesses that delay change face growing risks – from volatile energy prices and tightening regulation to supply chain disruption and shifting consumer expectations. What looks like short-term profitability often masks long-term vulnerability.

By contrast, companies investing now in sustainable transformation are building resilience and competitive advantage. Yes, it often requires upfront investment but the returns are increasingly clear. Solar power, once prohibitively expensive, is now the world’s cheapest energy source. Improving energy efficiency not only cuts emissions but reduces operating costs and increases agility in volatile markets.

Yet many remain caught in a strategic stalemate:

• Some funnel resources into sustainability teams and glossy reports but make little structural change.
  
  
• Others, paralysed by complexity, retreat to minimal compliance – ticking boxes instead of transforming.
  
  

The result is a widening credibility gap. Stakeholders can increasingly distinguish between genuine transformation and performance theatre. “Purpose washing” and “greenwashing” are no longer just reputational risks. They erode trust, investor confidence, and long-term value.

For some leaders, ESG now feels like a burden rather than a strategic advantage. But the reality is the opposite: embedding sustainability at the core of business strategy is one of the most powerful ways to drive innovation, manage risk, and secure lasting profitability.

And that shift – from viewing sustainability as an obligation to embracing it as an engine of growth – begins with leadership.

From intent to impact

The path to sustainability is complex, but the way forward is clear: leaders must rethink how they create value – aligning profit with purpose to build resilient, future-ready organisations.

Follow the purpose, not the path. True sustainability starts with a clear vision of impact. Don’t let process, precedent, or risk aversion limit ambition. Focus relentlessly on the actions that deliver the greatest value for both the organisation and the wider system it depends on.

Lead with creativity and courage. Transformation won’t come from playing it safe. Challenge conventions, experiment, and reward intelligent risk-taking. New problems demand new solutions and that means freeing leaders from rigid KPIs to explore what meaningful progress really looks like.

Think systemically. No business operates in isolation. Sustainability challenges cut across industries, communities, and ecosystems. Look beyond organisational boundaries. Collaborate, learn, and design for shared success. Systemic thinking ensures impact that’s both scalable and lasting.

Use the innovator’s toolkit. Treat sustainability as a design challenge. Test, prototype, iterate. Use experimentation to uncover hidden opportunities and develop products, services, and models that strengthen the systems we all rely on.

Catalyse shared potential. No one leads this transition alone. The role of the leader is shifting from commander to catalyst. Facilitate shared vision, purpose, and understanding across stakeholders. Create the conditions for co-creation so that solutions reflect the future people actually want to build. Unlock collective creativity, and channel it toward impact that benefits all.

The question is no longer whether sustainability can coexist with profit – it’s how quickly leaders can align both to create value that endures.

For more insights from Odharnait and our faculty experts on the topic of purpose driven leadership, download our Leadership Futures report: Purpose in Practice.