Leveraging Sustainability
as a Competitive
Advantage to Navigate
Disruption

This Harvard Business Review Analytic Services white paper, sponsored by Datamaran, explores how sustainability is evolving from a compliance-led function into a strategic driver of business performance — and why this shift is essential for navigating uncertainty.

Drawing on insights from leading academics, sustainability experts, and senior leaders, the paper examines how organizations can better integrate sustainability into strategy, risk management, and decision-making. Contributors include Lindsay Hooper, CEO of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL); John Elkington, Founder of Volans; Ioannis Ioannou, Associate Professor at London Business School; Tensie Whelan, Distinguished Professor at NYU Stern; Nella van der Eerden, VP Sustainability at Vynova; and Elisa Moscolin, EVP at Sage.

The findings highlight the limitations of short-term, siloed approaches and outline how data-driven, integrated sustainability strategies can improve resilience, operational efficiency, and competitive positioning — even amid ongoing disruption.

What you’ll learn from this white paper

• Why sustainability is becoming a core driver of enterprise resilience and long-term value
  
  
• The risks of fragmented, compliance-led sustainability approaches
  
  
• How leading organizations are embedding sustainability into strategy and governance
  
  
• The role of data, AI, and technology in navigating regulatory and market uncertainty

This paper provides insights to help leaders move from reacting to disruption to shaping the future.