Over the past months, you see more and more claims that sustainability is “over”: too much regulation, too much reporting, not enough excitement. At the same time, AI is everywhere. It can seem as if one topic is replacing the other. We see it differently: sustainability hasn’t disappeared – it’s moving closer to the core of how companies are run. Less as a label, more as a basis for real decisions.
Why it can feel “over”
For years, sustainability was wrapped in symbolism: campaigns, mission statements, glossy reports. Many organisations started there without changing much in day-to-day work. Now the pressure is rising: CSRD, supply chain rules, climate risks – for many this feels like compliance, not opportunity. When AI shows up and delivers visible efficiency gains, sustainability can seem like yesterday’s story.
What is actually changing
On the ground, something much more interesting is happening: sustainability is shifting from the communications team into the steering logic of the business. It is becoming measurable, mandatory, and financially material. You can see this in questions like:
How do climate risks and ESG factors influence investment decisions?
How are supply chains assessed – only by cost, or also by risk and compliance?
How strongly do energy and resource efficiencies affect competitiveness?
In short: there is less storytelling, more calculation. That shift is exactly what makes sustainability more future‑proof.
Where AI really fits in
AI is not here to replace sustainability. It’s here to make it workable. It helps close the gaps that have slowed progress for years:
Turning scattered data into structured information instead of manual Excel marathons.
Making scenarios, risks, and opportunities visible instead of relying on gut feeling.
Automating recurring tasks in reporting, monitoring, and risk management.
This is how “we really should do something about sustainability” gradually becomes a normal part of how organisations decide – from procurement and operations to product development.
What companies can do now
Rather than asking, “Is sustainability dead?”, a more useful question is: Where does sustainability actually show up in our everyday decisions today? For example:
Are energy and resource costs hard steering metrics or just nice‑to‑know KPIs?
Do sustainability risks influence supplier choices and site selection?
Are digital tools and AI used to manage these topics continuously – or only once a year for reporting?
The next step is to connect what already exists: initiatives, data, and projects. The building blocks of digitalisation are often there – they just need to be pointed at the right sustainability questions to make things easier, faster, and more precise.
Our takeaway
No, sustainability isn’t dead. It’s shedding its status as a buzzword and becoming part of normal corporate management. Organisations that embrace this shift – and combine it with smart use of AI – can turn pressure into an asset: for more efficient processes, more resilient business models, and a future that isn’t just planned on slides, but actively built in day‑to‑day decisions.
