Just imagine if your great, great, great, great grandchildren were to find some plastic packaging with your brand name on it? Would you be proud, or embarrassed that your packaging lasted longer than your products? Is that how you want to be remembered? As a CEO or business owner, you’ve spent years—maybe even decades—building your company. You’ve made tough decisions, navigated economic shifts, and likely sacrificed more than most people will ever know. But at the end of it all, what will you leave behind? What will your legacy be?
I am keenly aware that money makes the world go around, but for many leaders, legacy is about more than just revenue or market share. It’s about impact. It’s about being remembered as someone who built something that lasted, someone who built a brand that stands for something. Someone with grit, who took the road less travelled, and did what is right. And today, we are at a point in time of the life of the planet that is truly a defining moment.
The Business Case for a Sustainable Legacy
Sustainability is no longer a niche concern—it’s a fundamental business issue that affects brand reputation, customer loyalty, investor confidence, and regulatory compliance. The companies that integrate sustainability into their DNA today will be the ones remembered as pioneers tomorrow.
Consider some of the most respected brands in the world—Patagonia, Unilever, Tesla. Their leaders didn’t just build profitable companies; they built companies with purpose. And that purpose is a key reason why they continue to grow and thrive.
Your customers, employees, and investors are paying attention. They want to support businesses that are ethical, responsible, and forward-thinking. If you aren’t prioritizing sustainability, you risk being left behind—not just in the market, but in history. However, as a someone who adores my children, I would argue that what your children and grandchildren say, or will say, about you is more important.
What Happens If You Ignore Sustainability?
Let’s fast forward 10, 20, or 50 years. If your company hasn’t adapted to sustainability trends, here’s what could happen:
- Regulatory Pressure – Governments worldwide are increasing sustainability requirements. If you’re not measuring and improving your environmental and social impact, you may face compliance issues, fines, or lost business opportunities.
- Brand Erosion – Consumers are more conscious than ever. If your company is seen as contributing to environmental harm or social injustices, you may lose customer trust, leading to declining sales.
- Talent Drain – The best employees want to work for companies that align with their values. If sustainability isn’t a priority, you may struggle to attract and retain top talent.
- Investor Hesitation – ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) factors are increasingly influencing investment decisions. If you’re not addressing sustainability risks, you may find it harder to secure funding or partnerships.
Adopting sustainable business practices is simply good business, and can help mitigate risks, such the aforementioned reasons to adopt sustainability. But again, what will your children and grandchildren say about you and the business you built long after you are gone? Personally, I like the Seventh Generation Principle, which is a philosophy attributed to the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, particularly the Great Law of the Iroquois. It emphasizes long-term thinking and sustainability, encouraging leaders to make decisions with the well-being of the next seven generations in mind. Just imagine if your great great grandchildren were to find some plastic packaging with your brand name on it?
How to Build a Legacy Your Children & Grandchildren Will be Proud Of
The good news? It’s never too late to take action. Here are a few key steps to ensure your legacy includes a positive impact:
- Assess Where You Stand – Conduct a Sustainability Assessment to understand your environmental and social impact.
- Align with Global Standards – Look at frameworks like the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), GHG Protocol, and sustainability reporting standards to guide your efforts.
- Set Ambitious but Achievable Goals – Reduce carbon emissions, improve supply chain ethics, or design circular economy solutions that extend product life cycles.
- Integrate Sustainability into Business Strategy – Don’t treat sustainability as an add-on; embed it into your core operations, marketing, and corporate decision-making.
- Communicate Your Commitment – Be transparent with your customers, employees, and investors about your sustainability journey. Authenticity builds trust and loyalty.
At Emerger Strategies, we can help build your legacy with our Sustainability Assessment, Plan, & Report Package, which is designed to guide your brand through every step of the sustainability journey, from understanding where you stand today to setting meaningful goals and sharing your progress with stakeholders, and your ancestors seven generations in the future.
Your Legacy Is Yours to Define
Sustainability is not just about protecting the planet—it’s about future-proofing your business, strengthening stakeholder trust, and ensuring that what you’ve built continues to thrive, but more importantly, it is about what your kids, grandchildren, and descendants seven generations in the future will say about you.
I envision a future where we have achieved net-zero emissions, have done away with harmful chemicals and plastic pollution, manufacture products that are designed for circularity and that degrade harmlessly back into the earth. A future where we have conserved our land and water resources, enhanced biodiversity, and fully understand that we are dependent upon nature, both economically and spiritually. Nature is thriving, and so is your business because of the steps you took today to preserve your legacy.
When future generations look back, will they see you as a leader who embraced change and left the world better than you found it? Or will they see a company that missed the moment?
The choice is yours. What will your legacy be?