Why Businesses Can’t Afford to Ignore Sustainability Anymore

Over the years, I’ve worked with organizations chasing aggressive growth targets, streamlining operations after billion-dollar mergers and squeezing margins across every corner of the business. But there’s a conversation that’s long overdue for boardrooms beyond Earth Day: Without the planet, there is no profit.

For decades, companies have focused relentlessly on the “profit” pillar. More recently, the “people” pillar, which includes advancing shared prosperity, workforce well-being and community impact, has gained rightful prominence. But it’s time to fully commit to the third pillar: planet. Not as a charitable side note, but as a core business imperative. The idea that environmental responsibility and economic success are at odds isn’t just outdated — it’s dangerous.

The cost of ignoring the planet

When ecosystems thrive, so do economies. Productivity rises. Health improves. Stability holds. In contrast, resource scarcity, toxic air and environmental collapse fuel inflation, conflict and destruction. Most wars, both historic and current, are rooted in battles over land, water or energy.

The reality is clear: Polluted environments increase illness, reduce morale and disrupt business at every level. Droughts and floods drive up costs. Extreme weather severs supply chains. In the U.S. alone, extreme weather events cost businesses over $165 billion in 2022, disrupting logistics, damaging infrastructure and stalling operations, according to a report from The NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. The World Bank attributes a 5% reduction of global GDP, due to health impacts, lost productivity and reduced life expectancy caused by air pollution alone. There is no shortcut; the economy lives downstream from the environment.

Sustainability isn’t about sacrifice. It’s about survival — economic, biological and social. Yet many leaders still treat it like a luxury, something to consider after the next earnings call or expansion milestone. Worse, some merely greenwash by feigning commitment instead of embodying it.

But a shift is happening. Forward-looking leaders are embracing sustainability as strategy. They design for circularity, invest in regeneration and build climate resilience — not just to reduce risk, but to drive growth. Customers, employees and investors increasingly expect nothing less.

Case studies

The Great Green Wall (GGW) initiative, spearheaded by the African Union and supported by the World Bank, aims to combat desertification across the Sahel region by restoring 100 million hectares of degraded land by 2030. In countries like Senegal, the project has led to the planting of millions of drought-resistant trees, revitalizing ecosystems, improving soil fertility and enhancing agricultural productivity. These environmental improvements have bolstered food security, created jobs and stimulated local economies, demonstrating how large-scale ecological restoration can drive sustainable development and commerce in vulnerable regions.

Organizations like the World Forum for Ethics in Business, co-founded by humanitarian and spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, are helping lead this evolution. By integrating ethics, environmental care and human dignity, they champion a more conscious capitalism — one that measures success not just in returns, but in renewal.

The Art of Living Foundation is turning that vision into measurable action: planting over 100 million saplings worldwide, rejuvenating over 70 rivers in India and restoring tens of thousands of acres of degraded farmland through natural farming and water conservation.

In drought-prone Maharashtra, the Foundation’s River Rejuvenation Projects have revived rivers like the Kumudvati and Vedavathi, increasing groundwater levels and bringing drinking water back to hundreds of villages. In Tamil Nadu, the restoration of the Naganadhi river brought year-round irrigation back to once-parched farmlands, boosting crop yields and reducing farmer distress.

Meanwhile, large-scale tree plantation drives in areas like Latur and Ahmednagar have not only combated desertification but also created green corridors that improve rainfall patterns and local biodiversity. And through training in natural farming methods, tens of thousands of farmers have transitioned to chemical-free agriculture, leading to improved soil health, reduced input costs and better incomes.

These aren’t symbolic efforts; they’re community-led, scalable solutions that deliver tangible economic and health benefits. When businesses support or align with such initiatives, they aren’t just improving optics; they’re contributing to clean water, flourishing ecosystems and resilient local economies. When communities thrive, so does commerce.

When I was a panelist at the 2018 World Environment Day, Unesco-IAHV event, I joined other leaders on stage to discuss the essential connection between biodiversity, water conservation and human survival. Since then, it has been great to watch global efforts make a dent, like seeing that the EPA’s data shows that from 2013 to 2022, total releases of TRI chemicals into U.S. water systems decreased by 21%. However, clean water availability continues to be both a humanitarian crisis and a business risk.

Businesses must continue investing in systemic restoration efforts that are both people-centered and grounded in science. And consumers should demand what forward-thinking companies are already realizing: Protecting biodiversity and water safeguards every industry that relies on them.

This isn’t a once-a-year issue. It’s the only path forward. Business ethics that ignore the environment are incomplete. And profits gained at the planet’s expense are ultimately unsustainable.

The future belongs to leaders who can build in balance: people, planet and profit in sync. It’s not just good ethics. It’s smart business. And it’s the only kind that will last.