Appetite - check. Willingness - check. Action - not quite yet.

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Hello Reader,

On our minds at the moment is the global sense of urgency (rather, lack thereof) to take bold moves to increase organisational resilience. Feeding some of this thinking is KPMG's release of its CEO Outlook report which captures what's on the minds of global business leaders and provides a pulse check on confidence for the future.

A few stats of note on the topic of ESG include:

► 76% of the 1,300 CEOs surveyed say they would be willing to divest a profitable part of the business that was damaging their reputation (hey that's pretty wild).

► 68% indicate that they would take a stance on a politically or socially contentious issue, even if the Board raised concerns with them doing so (ooh we like this level of bold, although it does speak to the need for greater Board-Management alignment on business-critical risks).

► 66% of CEOs aren’t willing to withstand any shareholder scrutiny if ESG expectations aren't met (fair enough).

So then: where is all this bold, wild action?

With these oh-so-commercial risks swimming in the minds of the global economy's most influential business leaders, why are so many companies pulling back on targets and going all in on AI at the expense of ESG?

In their defence, the Global Head of ESG at KPMG is saying all the right things in this article about the need for companies to act now, but to be honest, we can't help but be cynical.

So many business models rely on delay. It's in many firms' interests (consulting firms in particular) to continue faffing around, because they'll rack up the hours they can charge their clients while saying all the right things and creating the illusion of progress on increasingly intensifying risks.

What is missing is a genuine sense of urgency. We do, in fact, need to act now (well, probably about 30 years ago if we're being really honest with ourselves).

If the results of this survey are true and there is a willingness, then what, we wonder, will it take to act? This is the conundrum we're noodling on constantly, so if you have any thoughts, we're all ears. Hit reply and let us know what you think it will take.

Meanwhile, it's all happening at Wild-Built - we've got an exciting edition to share with you.

All hands on deck.

Melissa

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P.S. You may have noticed we missed last edition. We had a bit too much going on and rather than push out a subpar edition, we had to remind ourselves we are not in fact robots and that rest is crucial. So thank you for your patience - we're sharing here in case you also needed that reminder too.

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Inspiring Purpose

When the founders of Guayakí wanted to bring Yerba Mate to an American audience they wanted to do it in the most sustainable way possible.

Yerba mate is a leaf-based beverage grown and consumed throughout South America. It contains caffeine and polyphenols giving the benefits of tea and coffee. Guayakí has had success selling loose-leaf and ready-to-drink products. Unlike tea though, the success of the product hasn't led to mass plantation-style growing. Guayakí strives for regeneration. To have a net-positive impact, leaving things better than they started. The yerba mate is grown in the shade of the forest, respecting nature and protecting biodiversity. They work with local growers to ensure regenerative practices and consult with them to maintain working conditions and improve local capability to ensure ongoing work for the communities.

They're a great example of how changing business models from conventional agriculture to regeneration can still provide a thriving business.

Business As Unusual Innovation

There have been many examples of repurposing waste streams and utilising them to create value. Where this can be problematic is when it's maintaining wasteful practices rather than addressing root causes of waste. Think yoga pants made out of plastic bottles (greenwashing?).

Some waste streams are unavoidable though. Dialysis, a necessary medical procedure that keeps people alive, is a water-intensive process. The water required needs purification before it can be used. This leaves a portion of the water behind, too high in minerals to be used in dialysis. Typically this would go down the drain. The City of Sydney is taking waste water and putting it to use. They are collecting the water and using it for street cleaning. By using the dialysis waste water they're saving 30,000 litres every week being drawn from drinking water to use for cleaning.

What we love about this is that it isn't just circular economy in support of consumption. It looks at a necessary waste stream and sees it as a solution to reduce urban water usage.

Melissa is one month into a three-month accelerator, Sustainability as the World Needs being run by arkH3. With a global cohort of sustainability leaders from all sectors, this program seeks to provide a solution for the very conundrum raised in our intro today: how to mobilise business leaders to respond with urgency to the polycrisis.

One of the cornerstone masterclasses arkH3 offer is: Planetary Boundaries - and so what? which covers implications for business and actions to take.

Curious to learn more and what we're seeking to do with this knowledge? We'd love to share with you. Reply to this email and let us know you're interested to know more.

Roundup

We couldn't agree more with the need to upskill on climate and sustainability. For those who don't have time to do an entire university micro-credential though, we offer very practical one-day workshops to help companies get to grips with the causes, effects and 'so whats' (which can be run remotely or in-person). Yes, that's a shameless plug. Get in touch.

There's some buzz out there that sustainability messaging is dead. This article suggests that there's a bit more to that story: that what consumers are looking for is authentic and meaningful action that stems from sustainability at the core of business. Yes please!

Lindsay Hooper, CEO of the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership shares in this Financial Times article the very same conundrum of how to get business leaders to take action by showing that ESG is dead. Her solution is 'competitive sustainability'.

In a great example of systems thinking, this article by the Ethics Centre explores the question 'What is education for?'. A short, important read for anyone who has been to school or has children or grandchildren in school.

Here are some really exciting ideas that use systems thinking and regeneration and show us what is possible. A welcome glimmer of hope amongst the epic challenges we're facing.

What We're Reading

Right Story, Wrong Story: Adventures in Indigenous Thinking by Dr Tyson Yunkaporta which explores our current predicaments through an indigenous lens, reminding us that story is at the heart of everything.

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