Why now is the time to invest in sustainability—if you make it brand-led

Fast Company

5 days ago

FAST COMPANY EXECUTIVE BOARD
According to Luc Speisser, global chief strategy and innovation officer at Landor, this moment isn't the time to retreat. It's time to rethink the approach.
[Courtesy of Luc Speisser]
The Fast Company Executive Board is a private, fee-based network of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience.
BY
Sustainability's momentum has slowed. Companies are delaying net-zero pledges. Budgets are being slashed. And in the face of economic pressure, many organizations are quietly stepping back from ESG commitments. But according to Luc Speisser, global chief strategy and innovation officer at Landor, this moment isn't the time to retreat. It's time to rethink the approach.
'Sustainability can't just be about compliance,' Speisser says. 'If it's compliance, it's a cost. And when times get tough, costs get cut.'
THE PROBLEM WITH COMPLIANCE
Speisser points to a hard truth: Compliance-driven sustainability doesn't differentiate. 'At best, it creates relevance. And relevance just gets you in the door,' he explains. 'It doesn't help you stand out. If everyone's doing the same thing (setting net-zero targets, reducing plastic), you end up with a green sea of sameness. Nobody remembers who said what.'
This sameness, he argues, is why many sustainability initiatives fail to generate a return on investment. 'If you're spending millions and no one can tell the difference between your efforts and your competitor's, you're not building preference. And if you're not building preference, you're not building value.'
CONSUMERS STILL EXPECT MORE
Despite the slowdown in investment, public expectations remain high. Citing Kantar data, Speisser notes that 86% of global consumers say urgent action is needed to address climate change, and 64% believe it's businesses, not governments, that should lead the way. Meanwhile, 94% of marketers believe it's part of their role to push sustainability forward.
Yet, there's a massive say-do gap. 'People say they care, but most won't pay more for sustainable alternatives,' he says. 'That's the disconnect brands have to solve. Not by scaling back but by making sustainability brand-led, so it drives business value, not just moral value.'
A BRAND-LED APPROACH TO SUSTAINABILITY
At Landor, the answer starts with the brand. 'We always begin with the brand promise,' Speisser says. 'A brand is a promise, and a great brand is a promise kept.'
That promise becomes the foundation for brand-led sustainability. The process, as he outlines, is simple but powerful: Identify what the brand stands for, map it against the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and choose the right problem to solve, one that aligns with the brand's culture, capabilities, and point of view.
Critically, brands shouldn't try to solve everything. 'Don't be a champion of everything,' Speisser advises. 'Be a champion of something. That's how you differentiate.'
He points to Saudia Airlines as an example. Their brand promise, Welcome to Our Future, blends traditional Arabic hospitality with modern ambition. Rather than apply this broadly, Saudia chose to focus on one overlooked but deeply relevant area: caring for the millions of Hajj pilgrims who travel annually in extreme heat. As such, Saudia Airlines takes a stand on SDG 3: Good health and wellbeing.
'This led to the creation of the Coolest Ihram,' says Speisser. 'It's a high-tech garment using BRRR cooling technology to create a personal microclimate, lowering the skin temperature by up to two degrees. And those two degrees can be the difference between heat stroke and safe travel.'
The initiative is a clear realization of Saudia's brand. 'It's not just sustainable,' he adds. 'It's specific. It's culturally relevant. It's emotionally resonant. And it's fully ownable.'
One of the biggest challenges brands face is proving the business case for sustainability. As Speisser puts it, 'Sustainability as the only ingredient won't work. You have to add value to the user, to the business, to the brand.'
Take Ariel's Ecoclic pod container. While switching from plastic to cardboard was a relevant move, the real breakthrough came in adding accessibility. 'The new pack design is easy to open for the 750 million people globally who live with dexterity challenges, while maintaining high safety standards for children,' Speisser explains. 'That's not just compliance—it's innovation. It creates new market access. It creates preference.'
Or consider Accessories, a 3D-printed, 'one size fits one' toothbrush handle co-designed with people living with arthritis. 'We asked participants what they'd pay for a solution that removes their pain. Some said they would be ready to pay even £300, as this is a life-changing solution for them and has immense value. We brought it to market for £50,' says Speisser. 'That's innovation rooted in empathy and brand equity.'
These aren't compliance moves. They're what Landor calls ownable firsts: ideas that are brand-led, business-generating, and category-defining.
A PLAYBOOK FOR BRAND LEADERS
For leaders under pressure to cut sustainability spending, Speisser offers pragmatic guidance:
Plan for uncertainty. Don't rely on regulators. Don't assume the cultural climate will shift in your favor. Build a strategy that works no matter what.
Expect no premium. Consumers won't pay more for sustainability. So give them something better, more functional, more beautiful, more meaningful.
Make the business case. Sustainability must serve people, planet, and profit. Only when it hits all three does it become a smart investment.
Think in road maps. Quick wins are important. But brand-led sustainability isn't a one-off campaign. It's a pipeline of meaningful innovation.
Landor uses a framework to help companies balance 'points of parity' (like switching to recyclable materials) with 'points of difference' (like creating inclusive design or redefining category norms). The goal: Make sustainability work for the brand, beyond the common good.
WHY NOW?
At a time when many companies are pulling back, Speisser argues the opposite: Now is exactly the right moment to lean in.
'Tough times cut the fluff,' he says. 'Sustainability that doesn't serve the business won't survive. But brand-led sustainability? That's different. It makes the brand stronger. It opens new markets. It builds lasting preference.'
He says plainly, 'If you just want to do good and hug trees, that's fine. But it won't be sustainable. Someone in the company will eventually ask, 'What is this driving?' And if the answer is nothing, the funding disappears.'
In contrast, the brands that win will be those that connect sustainability with purpose, performance, and profit. 'You have to make sustainability work for your business,' Speisser concludes. 'Because if you don't, it won't work at all.' He adds: 'And let's not forget that bringing together people, planet and profit is nothing more than the United Nations' definition of Sustainability.'
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The Fast Company Executive Board is a private, fee-based network of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. More