“Sustainability isn’t about being perfect. It is about holding space for conflicting truths,” writes Joyce Wong, Co-Founder and Sustainability Lead at Better Futures.
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By Joyce Wong for the Green Women Festival 2026
We have all seen this: a company announces a new zero-carbon plan, a government sets a net-zero target, and a start-up launches new compostable packaging. Then, the cracks start to show. The carbon audit misses supply chain leaks. The government-commissioned clean-tech solution relies on cobalt from mines with tough conditions. The compostable only breaks down in special facilities, which most cities are not equipped with. Progress and contradiction keep appearing hand in hand, like two sides of the same coin.
For a long time, we have been treating sustainability like a checklist: spot the waste, cut it out, swap fossil fuels for renewables, and voilà – (we thought) balance is restored. But real life is messier. Contradictions are everywhere you look. The Jevons effect reminds us that making things more efficient often makes us use more – cleaner engines, smarter data centers, but still an overall higher energy use. Renewables need rare minerals, which means more mining. Every solution seems to come with its own shadow.
Every time we solve one problem, another pops up – like a game of whack-a-mole. Unintended consequences are part of the journey. Progress isn’t bad; it is just always evolving.
The paradox gets real when big global goals meet the everyday lives of people and places. Communities might cheer for decarbonization, but not always for wind turbines or solar farms in their own backyard. Companies say they are all in when it comes to sustainability, but hesitate to redesign products for repair or reuse if it means less revenue in the short-term. This phenomenon has a name – “not in my back yard” – but at its heart, it is about fairness. Most of us don’t mind change, we just want to know we are not the only ones paying the price while others get the benefits. So, what are the key guiding principles of a just transition?
Let’s learn from some of the best energy projects in Europe, such as Denmark’s wind cooperatives and Scotland’s community-owned solar farms. They work because they bring people together. Co-ownership, sharing profits, open planning: these are ways to make things fair and feel fair. When sustainability really works, it is not just about being green. It is about being fair, and making sure everyone has a seat at the table.
Sustainability has long looked like a technical puzzle – tools, measurements, targets. But real progress starts with people, not just technology. It is about how we work together, how trust grows, how communities make choices. Words like “symbiosis” or “industrial ecology” might sound technical, but at the end of the day, they are about relationships and the connections that help us move forward together.
Organizations don’t change all at once. It is a journey, with stages along the way. First comes awareness – getting everyone on the same page. Then comes action: targets, dashboards, certifications. The real magic happens later, when sustainability becomes a given for everyone. This is when sustainability becomes the DNA of a business, what it lives and breathes. Which stage is your organization or business at? Which stage are we at as a society?
The real goal for the next decade isn’t inventing new things but making sure everyone gets to shape our collective as well as their own future – especially those who feel the changes most. Sustainability isn’t about being perfect. It is about holding space for conflicting truths.
Leaders today need to be both conscientious and flexible, willing to work through contradictions, stay curious during disagreements, and balance humility with action.
Sustainability is a patchwork of people, places, choices, and daily actions. The goal isn’t to fix everything but to keep the system alive and adaptive: moving, experimenting, revising, even when we cannot see the finish line. That’s what it means to take on wicked problems. The psychology of sustainability isn’t about sitting back – it is about choosing to navigate together, even when the path is unclear.
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Earth.Org is Media Sponsor of the Green Women Festival 2026, Hong Kong’s leading event to celebrate sustainability, gender equality, and women’s leadership. The festival returns this spring at Eaton HK on April 18-19. Join powerful talks, dialogues and hands-on workshops, and immersive spaces that celebrate community and climate action. Get your tickets here.
About the author: Joyce Wong is the Co-founder and Sustainability Lead at Better Futures, where she helps organizations turn sustainability ambitions into action. With over 13 years of consulting experience across Hong Kong, Asia, and London, Joyce brings expertise in stakeholder engagement, research, and strategic planning. She believes real change begins with curiosity and collaboration, when people come together to reimagine growth, design out waste, and build a future that works better for both business and the planet.
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