Green pressure is increasingly pushing political, economic and societal agendas to take sustainability issues more seriously. Environmental, economic and societal challenges contribute to an evolving, decision-making landscape that takes more into account than only economical gain and status. This means that the pressure is mounting on decision-makers to take social and environmental aspects into account. Equally important is that people are taking their fate into their own hands. A lot of discussions, experiments and implementation of sustainability practices are happening right now. Inevitably, the wave of sustainability can no longer be stopped as it is on everyone’s mind. Sustainability is now the general direction in which the world is going, but what do we need to change? And how are we going to develop it? What can we expect in the coming years? We need to move away from carbon-focused tunnel vision and see the coming crisis as an interconnected bundle of bad decisions. Recently I dived into the pool of sustainability trends, and I’m going to present you with a diversity of trends that will become more and more important in our century.

Firstly, I want to share with you a quote that I stumbled across:

Sustainability becomes the new normal.

I couldn’t agree more with this. It is the overarching goal we need to achieve. This is the narrative and attitude we need to achieve our sustainability goals. It’s super exciting and the Sustainability trends I’m going to introduce to you will hopefully fuel your inspiration to take action and make your life more sustainable. Because Sustainability IS the new normal! Not yet? Then let’s change that!

Climate Positive Replaces Net-Zero 

We hear from a diverse set of professionals that to achieve climate goals and reach Net-Zero status we need to cut greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) as much as possible. Net-Zero is a necessary goal, considering the unnatural amount of GHG in the atmosphere. But the Net-Zero endeavours must not only include emissions which are produced now, but also all of the previously produced GHGs. Thus, the narrative of Net-Zero needs to be replaced by Climate Positive examples. We need solutions which prevent emissions from occurring in the first place, then we need solutions which reduce the overall production of emissions. Lastly, we must find solutions to mitigate the accumulated emissions. Additionally, we need to profoundly rethink our dependence on heavy emitting industries like mining and energy while restructuring our global agriculture. In these industries, we need a diverse set of solutions to help us remove large-scale emissions. In the political arena, it is the government’s responsibility to implement different policy strategies and address the problems at the root of the cause. In the Climate Positive trend, we have to be ahead of the game by supporting various innovators and building infrastructures which favour a rapid sustainable transition. Small-scale decisions are also crucial in contributing to a Climate Positive status because the combined number of small decisions results in big outcomes.

Renewable Energy Is Becoming Increasingly More Affordable

As previously mentioned, the energy industry is one of the biggest emitters and renewable energy is the go-to solution to meet this demand. One of the obstacles for the development of renewable energy solutions is the expense. The frustrating part is that if the development of renewable energy had been accelerated much earlier, we would have clean and affordable energy now. Instead, we are fueling crises and making unethical corporations more powerful. However, the time has come, and it looks like renewable energy will not only be cheaper but will also be able to keep up with demand. Another thing which needs to be considered is our energy consumption. It is always worthwhile to look at the root of the problem. For example, food, plastic and chemical waste are acknowledged global problems, but wasting energy doesn’t get as much attention. Waste is a human concept, it doesn’t occur in the natural environment. Energy waste is an overlooked problem. Instead of aiming to match the energy consumption demand, we need to find different solutions other than simply increasing the energy supply. 

Applying Easy Technology To Build Solutions Around The Problem

We are in a new era: Industry 4.0, also known as the fourth industrial revolution. Industry 4.0 refers to the change induced by technology and the effects on our social as well as industry patterns and processes. Digitalisation provides an enormous opportunity to accelerate sustainable transitions as it enables a quicker implementation of new ideas. Looking at new ways to become more sustainable is not only easier with technological support, but also exciting. In a few years, we might experience a technological breakthrough(s) which solves all our problems. Who knows? Tackling sustainability challenges is an exciting field as there are no limits to our imagination. Looking at new and different ways to be more sustainable can complement our desire to merge once more with the natural world. Identifying weak points and offering sustainable solutions are required in every industry. Even as someone who has little contact with technology development (like myself), I can find more than enough information to implement my ideas in the technological sphere. Or collaborate with someone who has the know-how. Being an inventor doesn’t take much nowadays, everything and everyone we need is right in front of us.

Transition To A Circular Economy

Eliminating waste and finding different ways of recirculating resources is a crucial step towards sustainable development. Circular economy is an important concept where we adapt human processes to make them closer to the capabilities of natural systems. In a sustainable economic system, economic growth is characterised by decoupled resource use which reduces and recirculates natural resources. The way we operate should be influenced and guided by natural systems: production of clean air, healthy soils, healthy food, clean water, no waste, etc. It is not only about involving ourselves in natural systems, but from a societal perspective, we also have to evolve. Through education, participation and legislative support we not only get the chance to contribute more effectively to a circular economy, but also to our well-being. Caring for and maintaining our livelihood is crucial. Our efforts to enhance sustainable transition need to recirculate through the system to shape an economy which benefits everyone.

Sustainable Success Through Real Change And Leadership

Hopefully, the time of poor leadership getting away with anything is over. We are no longer in a position to accept empty promises. Now, we need to organise how to create, deliver and capture value in the economic, social, cultural or other context. We need to structure everything we do around sustainability. Important concepts to support sustainable transition are ecocentric, systemic and long-term worldviews. I leave you a related link to my article Sustainability Mindset – A Mindset For A Better World which explains the previously mentioned concepts more in detail.

Established businesses may be stuck in their old ways of doing business but this doesn’t mean that we need to wait until they’ve figured it out. There is a huge pool of opportunities waiting for you and me. We can easily contribute to system changes, and we have the potential to profoundly transform the business world. A little virus showed us how. For example, hybrid working became the new normal. Other new normals on the rise are to work in a cross-boundary network, working with complexity and influencing without authority.

Business Traceability And Transparency, Sustainable By Law

Similar to the previous trend, over are the times where the outcomes of poor decision-making could be swept under a rug. Industries, as well as governments, must be held accountable for their actions. In far too many cases, they have abused their power for too long. Traceability refers to solutions which help to identify all stakeholders and production processes within the value chain. Our supply chains will continue to be extremely fragile if we don’t restructure them. Increasingly, people want to support best-practice businesses and people who, with their good actions, contribute to positive economic, environmental and social outcomes. Improving supply chains is a great opportunity to test different ways of working towards sustainability. At one point it will be law, so isn’t it better to start now?

Cities Are Leading With Bold Ideas, Sustainable Urban Transformation

More than 50% of the world’s population already lives in urban areas, a tendency which is rising. Urbanisation and its prevalent structure is contributing significantly to society’s greatest challenges. With experimental ideas which take into account social and environmental well-being, we have the chance to transform urban unpleasantness into a livable oasis. There is a lot of potential in creating roadmaps which respect the planet’s biophysical limits and make our cities alive. When tightly intertwined, human and natural systems can contribute to increased well-being. This has been largely neglected by urban developers in past decades. Transforming cities into habitats needs to happen as urban areas are expanding.

Reconnecting With Nature

Doctors in different parts of the world have started prescribing walks in natural environments for their patients to significantly contribute to their recovery. This indicates how important time in nature is. Why are we separating natural and urban spaces if the impact of nature around us is so significant? Connecting our lifestyles back to nature is an important part of the sustainable achievement. Not only do we need nature to maintain and improve our health, but we also need to start sharing our unrightfully claimed spaces with the natural world again. Raising awareness about environmental issues is difficult in locations which look like concrete deserts, it’s not very inspiring. We grow our passion for the environment  by learning about it and becoming fascinated with what our planet has to offer. The best teachers we can find to reconnect with nature are indigenous communities. They still have access to skills, knowledge and skills when humans were still a part of nature. 

Alternative Protein Will Become Another New Normal

What we eat is not only impacting us but also the environment. We are very disconnected from the production of food. We don’t know how sustainably (if at all) it was produced, or what the social and environmental impacts were. Plant protein is booming! Which makes me feel quite excited because I’m one of those veggies. Food production is not sustainable at all. To produce meat we contribute to the waste of water, food (in the form of animal feed) and space. I know that the majority of meat eaters don’t care but the Amazon is on the brink of disappearing completely because of meat production. Plant-based protein is a much better environmental choice, but what shouldn’t be underestimated is the distribution of food. We need to shorten the food supply chain to make it more sustainable. Rethinking our food consumption patterns to become more sustainable can have a bigger impact than you think. Trust me, my master’s degree focused on Sustainable Food Systems.

The above Sustainability trends illustrate the many opportunities we have to contribute to a sustainable transition. You can be part of some heavy emitting industry, work for the council, be a food producer, influencer, activist, cafe owner and so on. It doesn’t matter in which profession you sit, we all can take part and bring in our ideas, desires and visions. The more diversity we create, the more the sustainable transition will resonate with the needs of different people and the environment. I hope these trends give you an idea of where you can contribute to a more sustainable transition. A lot of great people have found their role in the Sustainability Space, creating win-win situations for everyone and eliminating systems which only benefit very few people.