The biggest challenges of sustainable development
In The Words of 150+ Sustainability Professionals
Over the past few years, I’ve had conversations with more than 150 sustainability professionals, digging into the real barriers they face when trying to make impactful change in business. These discussions revealed not only the practical challenges but also the emotional weight carried by those at the forefront of sustainability.
This article is here to let you know that if you’re one of the many pushing for change every day, you’re not alone. You’ll likely see yourself in some of these insights. Together, we’ll dive into the ten most common challenges professionals face—and the toll they take—capturing the experiences, frustrations, and resilience that shape sustainability work today.
Written by: Jessie Frahm, Founder at Planet One Point FIve
The reality of leading sustainability in business
In my conversations with over 150 sustainability professionals, common themes emerged around the emotional and practical challenges of driving change in business. This isn’t just about budgets or external hurdles—it’s about navigating self-doubt, finding resilience, and pushing forward when it seems like no one else is listening.
Below, my team and I have compiled the ten most profound challenges sustainability leaders face, drawn from the experiences shared with us.
1. Lack of Leadership Support
“I often feel like I’m just here to tick boxes. Leadership nods along, but there’s little real backing when it comes to pushing sustainability forward.” – Anonymous
The emotional toll of pushing sustainability without solid backing from leadership is tough. Even with a strong strategy, it’s draining to keep putting your heart into work that feels undervalued. For many, it’s like speaking into a void, wondering if that passion for the planet will ever truly land with those at the top.
So why does this happen? Some express their lack of experience in managing upwards, while others mention a creeping imposter syndrome that rears its head when ideas don’t take root. It’s a frustrating cycle, especially when you’re doing your best to make a difference.
2. Budget Constraints
“It’s incredibly frustrating when there’s so much potential to make an impact, but the budget just doesn’t align with the urgency of the task.” - Anonymous
For many, limited budgets force constant prioritisation, which often leads to feelings of inadequacy. With so much potential impact on the line, repeatedly being asked to scale back or only focus on the base necessity can feel disheartening. It’s easy to feel caught in a cycle of justifying every expense, while the real impact you envision remains just out of reach.
A big part of this struggle is the challenge of building and articulating a strong business case for sustainability—crafting an argument that resonates not only with management but also with colleagues right in front of you, who are busy with their own tasks. It’s about learning to argue the balance between vision and practicality in a world of tight budgets.
3. Organisational Resistance to Change
“People get into their routines. They’ve done it the same way for years, and there’s this invisible wall whenever I suggest a sustainable alternative.” - Anonymous
Building a sustainability strategy is one thing; integrating it into a company’s DNA is another. All too often, sustainability is treated as an “extra”—not essential, just a nice-to-have. The weight of trying to build a genuine sustainability culture, while constantly needing to convince colleagues to change habits, mindsets, and practices, can be a lonely, exhausting road.
One key reason? 86% of professionals in our research report feeling underprepared in stakeholder engagement skills. Without the skills to effectively rally others around sustainability, many find themselves fighting this battle alone. As I say, hoping for change is not a strategy!
4. Proving the ROI of Sustainability
“Convincing decision-makers that sustainability has a long-term business value is a constant uphill battle. They want quick results, not the transformative impact sustainability promises.” - Anonymous
Many professionals struggle to communicate the value of sustainability in financial terms, which can lead to feelings of self-doubt and frustration. It’s a tough spot—knowing your work is critical but lacking the metrics or language to make it resonate with finance-focused leadership can feel like an insurmountable roadblock.
Then there’s the challenge of social sustainability, which often gets sidelined simply because it’s hard to quantify. Without concrete metrics, it’s difficult to argue its importance. And as we all know, “what gets measured, gets done.” This gap in measurable value makes it all the more challenging to secure the support and resources needed to drive real change.
5. Overwhelm from the Complexity of the Role
“It’s the chaotic volume of things we could be doing. Between climate, waste, and social aspects, it’s difficult to know where to start or what prioritise.” - Anonymous
The sustainability field demands a unique mix of technical knowledge, project management, and interpersonal skills. Many professionals I have met in my research feel pulled in so many directions that it’s hard to tell if real progress is being made. Keeping pace with an evolving landscape often leads to burnout, especially as the list of things you “should know” seems to grow endlessly.
One major reason for this overwhelm? The lack of a clear overarching focus, or “Business Catalyst”—a concept we coined here at Planet One Point Five. Without a well-defined (and approved) catalyst, there’s no clear goalpost, leaving people running in different directions without a unified target. It’s like trying to build momentum on shifting sands, with priorities changing faster than you can keep up.
6. Embedding Sustainability into Corporate Strategy
“The hardest part is moving sustainability from a standalone policy to an integral part of our business strategy. It’s essential, yet it always feels sidelined.” - Anonymous
While sustainability leads know that true impact requires integration into the company’s core strategy, achieving this can feel challenging. Despite best efforts, sustainability is often seen as an isolated initiative rather than a foundational part of business goals.
One core barrier is the lack of experience in strategic business direction. Sustainability is a broad, complex field wrapped up in a single term, and addressing it effectively demands a team with diverse strengths—not just a lone, often underpaid and undervalued, sustainability manager or consultant. Without this support and alignment at the top, embedding sustainability into the business can feel like an uphill battle.
7. Burnout from Pushing Initiatives with Limited Progress
“It’s exhausting to constantly push for something that’s not immediately visible to everyone else. Sometimes, it feels like a solo mission.” - Anonymous
Even the most dedicated professionals face the challenge of pushing for progress when results take time to materialise. It’s tough to keep momentum when milestones go unrecognised or when changes are incremental, despite the pressing need for action.
A significant contributor to this burnout is the focus on compliance. Many report that up to 90% of their time is absorbed by tasks that don’t truly move the needle. As one respondent aptly put it, “In a few years, we’ll be reporting on reporting, not progress.” This compliance-driven workload often prevents sustainability leads from focusing on transformative initiatives that could drive real impact, leaving them frustrated and fatigued by a cycle of procedural work.
8. Difficulty Engaging Stakeholders
“I try so hard to get others involved, but sustainability still feels like it’s ‘my project’ instead of a collective mission.” - Anonymous
Building support across departments requires time, patience, and skill—and it’s a significant challenge. Many sustainability leads report feeling like they’re swimming upstream, isolated in their efforts to bring others on board with sustainability goals.
A key obstacle is the lack of internal communication structures. Many struggle to establish clear KPIs for department leads, which makes it difficult to hold others accountable for sustainability progress. Furthermore, feedback loops for continuous improvement are often missing, limiting the flow of information needed to adjust and enhance initiatives over time. Without these structures, the effort to engage stakeholders becomes a continual uphill battle, leaving sustainability leads as lone voices left to figure things out on their own.
9. Self-Doubt in Professional Capabilities
“I sometimes feel out of my depth, especially when new frameworks or reporting standards emerge. It’s like there’s always something new to master.” - Anonymous
Sustainability is a field that requires constant learning and adapting, which can bring up self-doubt, especially when facing new challenges. Many find themselves questioning whether they’re “qualified enough” to lead initiatives or if their ideas will have the impact they envision. This emotional weight of self-doubt and imposter is real.
10. Fear of Professional Stagnation
“Too often, sustainability is viewed as just a checkbox rather than a serious business imperative, which makes it hard to achieve lasting change.” - Anonymous
For those passionate about sustainability, the prospect of a career that doesn’t fully realise their vision is disheartening. Many worry that, without the right tools, resources, and support, they’ll be caught in a cycle of stalled projects and unmet goals, questioning if they’re making any tangible difference.
A core challenge here is the lack of clarity on what to prioritise—what is the route-map to follow - combined with not always having the authority to focus on areas with the most impact. In response, many professionals turn to self-investment through courses and programs, yet often find these misaligned with real-world demands. This gap underscores the need for community and peer support—real people with shared experiences to lean on for guidance, practical advice, and encouragement.
Moving Forward with Confidence and Purpose
These challenges aren’t just isolated struggles—they’re shared experiences that reflect the weight of responsibility and the drive to create meaningful change. I believe that sustainability professionals deserve not only to be heard but to be equipped with the skills, confidence, and support needed to navigate these hurdles.
In our Impact Accelerator program, we focus on empowering professionals to move beyond these common roadblocks, helping them turn frustration into resilience, find clarity amid complexity, and gain the recognition they deserve. This article is an invitation to reflect. What challenges are holding you back from delivering the transformation you envision?
Let’s continue the conversation. I’d love to hear about your experiences, frustrations, and aspirations for making sustainability a core part of your work.
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“Driving sustainability is more than strategies. It’s about resilience, collaboration, and the clarity to make every step count.”