Navigating Turbulence: Strategies to Stay the Course on Sustainability

London, UK — October 2025 — As businesses face economic volatility, political uncertainty, and social fatigue around climate issues, sustainability leaders are being urged to double down on resilience and purpose rather than retreat. In her latest commentary for BusinessGreen, Sally Uren, CEO of Forum for the Future, outlines practical, high-impact strategies that organizations can adopt to safeguard their sustainability ambitions during this period of turbulence.

A New Era of “Sustainability Winter”

Uren describes today’s climate as a “sustainability winter”—a time when progress feels slow and resources stretched. Yet she argues this is precisely when resilience, creativity, and long-term focus are most vital. Instead of scaling back, companies should view this period as an opportunity to embed sustainability more deeply into core strategy, operations, and culture.

“When the headwinds strengthen, the temptation to slow down is understandable—but the smartest organizations use turbulence to build lasting systems change,” Uren writes.

Eight Core Strategies for Staying on Course

Reaffirm Purpose and Vision
Keep sustainability at the heart of corporate identity. Clear purpose provides direction when external signals are confusing.
Invest in Resilience, Not Just Efficiency
Build adaptive capacity in supply chains, operations, and teams to withstand disruption—financial or environmental.
Focus on High-Impact Levers
Prioritize fewer, more transformative initiatives that deliver measurable outcomes and align with long-term decarbonization.
Integrate Sustainability into Every Function
Shift sustainability from a standalone department into finance, procurement, and HR to hardwire it into decision-making.
Foster a Learning Culture
Encourage experimentation and reflective learning. Treat setbacks as data, not failure.
Build Collaborative Ecosystems
Partner across industries and sectors to share risk, accelerate innovation, and amplify collective impact.
Communicate with Honesty and Transparency
Maintain stakeholder trust through consistent updates, even on difficult trade-offs or missed targets.
Balance Short-Term Wins with Long-Term Transformation
Celebrate progress to sustain morale while keeping sight of deeper structural goals, such as achieving net-zero or nature-positive outcomes.

Resilience Through Partnership and Purpose

Uren emphasizes that collaboration and conviction will determine which organizations thrive in this uncertain decade. Companies that pair climate ambition with adaptability—grounded in transparent leadership—will not only survive the turbulence but emerge stronger and more trusted.

About Forum for the Future

Forum for the Future is a leading international sustainability non-profit that works with businesses, governments, and civil society to accelerate systemic change toward a just and regenerative future.