Paul Polman’s Inspiring Message from Davos
Are We Truly Transforming, or Just Waiting for the Transition?
One of the most thought-provoking moments for me at Davos 2025 was a conversation that struck at the core of what it means to drive real change. It wasn’t about pledges, offsets, or corporate sustainability reports — it was about the fundamental transformation of what we put into the world.
At the heart of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Carlo Giardinetti from Deloitte brought together a group of Chief Sustainability Officers (CSOs) from major global corporations for a thought-provoking discussion on Product Portfolio Transformation. In an era where sustainability roadmaps and net-zero commitments often focus on value chain-level changes, this conversation tackled a fundamental yet often overlooked question: Are we still keeping the same products in the market while waiting for the transition? The session aimed to explore how businesses can accelerate sustainability by redesigning products and services from the ground up.
I was truly honored to be invited to this inspiring gathering and, as always, to learn from my great friends and mentors, Carlo and Paul. Their wisdom, vision, and unwavering commitment to a better future continue to inspire me. But beyond them, at this Davos, I was also encouraged by seeing some brave managers who are trying hard to push for systemic transformation — those who are not just talking about change but are actively reshaping industries to align business with planetary well-being.
Among the distinguished voices at the table, Paul Polman, the former CEO of Unilever and one of the most influential leaders in corporate sustainability, delivered yet another powerful call to action. His words, as always, were both inspiring and urgent, urging businesses to fundamentally rethink their models to ensure a sustainable and equitable future.
Beyond Pledges: The Need for Real Business Transformation
Polman opened his remarks by addressing a critical gap in corporate sustainability strategies. While many companies have set ambitious targets for carbon reduction, circularity, and social equity, he noted a striking absence of discussion about product and service transformation.
“I would read things like, ‘we’re going to decarbonize 30%, 40%, 50%’ or ‘we will become 100% circular by this date.’ But I was always waiting to see: what are you actually changing in what you sell and how you operate?”
His challenge was clear: decarbonization cannot be isolated from the core business. Companies must fundamentally rethink their product portfolios and business models to embed sustainability at the heart of their operations truly.
A Bottom-Up Strategy for Acceleration
Polman argued that the slow pace of change in corporate sustainability is due to a lack of a bottom-up approach. While top-level sustainability commitments are important, real transformation happens when companies examine every product and service they offer and redesign them for a sustainable future.
“If we want to accelerate, we need a bottom-up strategy as well. We need to look at what we sell every day, how we can change and transform that, and have the conviction that investors will love that story.”
Rather than focusing solely on long-term pledges, Polman urged companies to take immediate action by making transparency a priority and integrating sustainability into their core business strategy.
The Urgency of the Moment: Converging Global Crises
Polman highlighted the unprecedented convergence of global crises — climate change, biodiversity loss, social inequality, and geopolitical instability — emphasizing that businesses cannot afford to remain passive.
“Never before have we seen a convergence of so many factors happening at the same time — while we have less and less time to address them.”
He pointed out that six out of nine planetary boundaries have already been exceeded, leading to destabilizing effects on natural and economic systems. Climate disasters alone have cost the world $3 trillion in the last two decades, and yet corporate responses remain fragmented and inadequate.
“The biggest challenge we have is that very few people truly understand the significance of what’s coming and how it’s going to impact us all.”
Hope Through Action: Shifting from Fear to Solutions
Despite the urgency, Polman remained optimistic about the potential for businesses to be drivers of positive change. He stressed that while fear and climate anxiety are understandable, real change is driven by action.
“You don’t change with fear. You change with action. It’s always been the case in history.”
He called on business leaders to embrace a mindset of continuous improvement:
“Good enough never is. You have to be able to have this healthy dissatisfaction with the status quo while driving change in a positive way.”
Polman’s challenge to corporate leaders was not just to make sustainability commitments but to fundamentally rethink the way they do business — aligning profitability with purpose and ensuring that growth does not come at the expense of the planet.
A Call to Courageous Leadership
Polman’s message in Davos was clear: the time for incremental change is over. True leadership in today’s business world requires courage — the courage to transform, to innovate, and to embrace a vision where business success and sustainability are inseparable.