Why Net Zero Needs to Be Built In, Not Bolted On

After 36 years working in commercial, operational, transformation, consulting and leadership roles I'm pivoting into Climate-Integrated Business Transformation and Net Zero Change - here's why.

Climate change is one of the most urgent challenges of our time and I believe businesses have a critical role to play. Making a real difference requires more than published targets and ambition, it requires change... but change is hard. The scale of change required by businesses to achieve net zero by 2050 is complicated, costly and disruptive - positive climate impact at pace will not be achieved without businesses playing their part.

When it comes to net zero business leaders aren’t short of ambition or awareness, it’s not that they don’t care about climate the risks and need to reduce emissions, the challenge isn’t intent - it’s execution. In a world shaped by economic volatility, shifting technologies, and complex global supply chains, leaders are under pressure to deliver performance today while navigating an uncertain tomorrow. Climate goals like net zero often sit outside core strategy, disconnected from how decisions are made, how resources are allocated, and how progress is measured.

That separation is holding businesses back.

Too often, sustainability and net zero are treated as side projects or compliance exercises. But the same actions that cut emissions - smarter operations, cleaner supply chains, more efficient systems, also drive agility, resilience, and long-term value. The opportunity isn’t just environmental, it’s strategic. 

To unlock it, we need to evolve how planning gets done. Net zero won’t be delivered through siloed teams or one-off initiatives, it must be integrated into strategic, commercial, and operational plans - with the same discipline and governance applied to other transformation efforts. That means linking climate action to cost drivers, value and ROI, embedding it in business-as-usual processes, and ensuring it's backed by leadership, clear priorities, and meaningful metrics.

The next decade will separate those who tick boxes from those who transform. The businesses that thrive will be those that align purpose, strategy, and execution  making climate action not an add-on, but a core driver of growth, resilience, and value.

So, over the next 12 months I'll be researching the business challenges which act as barriers to the integration of net zero and climate considerations into the transformation agenda, and also building deep expertise on net zero transition plans - what's working, what innovative approaches are being adopted, and how do we diagnose whether a transition plan really is credible and that an organisation is set up to successfully implement it.

Make it 'better' - the obvious way to drive change

I recently participated in a discussion on how to embed behaviour changes associated with transformation. Lots of views were shared including role modelling, fostering internal motivation, celebrating progress and success etc.

Later it struck me that when you design changes that are recognised as making things ‘better’, people are more likely to adopt them into their daily routines, it doesn’t negate the need for embedding but does make a big difference.

Obviously, what ‘better’ means is a huge topic and people have written books on how to develop organisational solutions. However, what is clear to me is that you can’t successfully develop new operating models/ processes/ systems on your own, in workshops with ‘experts’, and away from the real world.

I leverage a People-Driven-Change approach that involves and engages individuals from all levels of the business when understanding the challenge; designing the solutions; sense checking, piloting and reiterating the solutions. This may seem overwhelming but is effective as it results in better solutions – informed by people who do the job, as they are doing the job. It also builds belief, advocacy & ownership which accelerates and deepens adoption of the new behaviours driving business impact.

2021 specific barriers to successful transformation

I recently launched a poll on the barriers to transformation that because of the unique context in 2021 are more likely to hold back progress this year. Unclear business priorities came top of the poll with 45% of the votes followed by Change and general fatigue with 30%.

The results replicate conversations I’ve been having regarding where businesses are with their transformation plans for 2021. Here’s my take on why these two barriers came the top of the list.

Concerns regarding business priorities are likely to exist because companies either have not decided what their specific plans are for 2021 are or have not communicated them effectively. This may be due to concerns in committing money and resources to initiatives until the economic outlook is clearer. Alternatively, it may be due to how the priorities have been communicated – the process, the messaging, the format, the follow up etc. Either way, the lack of clarity for managers and teams on where they should focus and what they should de-prioritise is a barrier to progress. Until business outcomes and priorities are fully understood (the What), work cannot commence on the design and implementation of the solutions and activities (the How) that will deliver the changes desired.

It’s not surprising that fatigue has polled highly as a barrier to delivering transformation this year – we’re all tired. There has been so much change over the past 14 months, change to where teams work, how they communicate, the way work is done and often what the work is. Businesses have had to refocused on offers and services relevant in the covid world - for some strategy will have changed, for others it will have accelerated. Additionally, there is pressure on teams to catch up in 2021 on important initiatives and technology implementations put on hold last year. For everyone the change continues as we emerge from lockdown and move to hybrid working and as consumer behaviour evolves again. New decisions are required on which of the changes adopted during the pandemic remain and which will be reversed as we move to a new normal.

If there’s one big take out for me it’s the importance of how we communicate to, engage with and involve our leaders and teams. Excitement can be generated around strategy and transformation to galvanise and energise teams, providing a confidence in the future of the business they work in and their role within it. This energy drives both the transformation and business performance.