Engaging Conventional Thinkers With Sustainability
It’s difficult to change thinking in a society that has been both quite patriarchal and quite unsustainably-minded for some time. Considered from an anthropological view, these sorts of things could take hundreds, if not thousands, of years to evolve. But still (!) – especially in marketing – the consumers are clearly telling us to get with the program.
A lot of people don’t relate to or put up with patriarchy in their daily lives. Many consumers/citizens are also trying to live personal lives and work for companies that focus a bit more on sustainability. So, what are brands doing about it?
My latest HuffingtonPost contribution compares the findings in a new Catalyst report on how to engage men with gender initiatives to what I see as a difficulty in engaging conventional business thinkers with sustainability. In the piece, I cover a few of the points of myth/reality in both of those cases.
Here’s my conclusion:
The point is not to polarize the conventional and sustainable business mindsets away from one another. That gets us nowhere. Instead, the point is for all of today’s business thinkers to innovate as they always have, but to do so within exciting new parameters that serve planet, people and profits.
Just like the marketing to women advice I often give: shut up about it, but do it! If the term “sustainability” makes business decision-makers uncomfortable, don’t mention it. Just embrace the inevitable, commit to integrating sustainable development in to your business, and join today’s wise and innovative business pioneers.
