How Business Leaders Can Make The Planet Great Again

France's President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during the Plenary Session of the One Planet Summit on December 12, 2017, at La Seine Musicale venue on the ile Seguin in Boulogne-Billancourt, southwest of Paris. The French President hosts 50 world leaders for the 'One Planet Summit', hoping to jump-start the transition to a greener economy two years after the historic Paris agreement to limit climate change. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / Etienne LAURENT (Photo credit should read ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP/Getty Images)

Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron struck a rare coup double. As host of the One Planet Summit, he brought together leaders from the public and private sectors to develop climate change mitigation strategies. With the United States sidelined from climate leadership, Macron seized the opportunity to become a global leader on the issue. But, more importantly, Macron spotlighted an important and accelerating dynamic: some of the strongest environmental leadership in the world is coming from innovative businesses.

This private sector support for action on climate change is critical. It means that, while President Trump may slide backwards on greenhouse gas mitigation, the impact of his decisions is limited. Today, the most powerful force for change on the planet is not American politicians but the leaders of innovative companies, from start-ups to massive corporations.

These business leaders – who range from inventors of water-purification systems, designers of shoes made from ocean plastic and power company executives investing in massive solar arrays – are legion. And they are committed to innovation on products, operations, supply chains and partnerships across their industries to solve environmental challenges and address the seemingly intractable problem of climate change. Importantly, they are not necessarily do-gooders, but leaders who can see the writing on the wall: the future success of their businesses depends on this innovation.

Yes, the market for sustainable practices and products is rapidly growing. But the opportunities that are expanding across every industry aren’t simply there for the picking. The business leaders who successfully develop solutions to challenges like climate change – while also winning by traditional business metrics – share three distinctive elements of a future first mindset:

They embrace sustainability as an innovation opportunity.

Future first leaders embrace global challenges. Rather than denying, ignoring or surrendering to their inevitability, these leaders see issues like climate change and resource depletion as opportunities for innovation.

The vast majority of people don’t take substantial action on climate change. But why? In most cases, it isn’t because they don’t think it’s real. They realize all too well the threat climate change poses to the future of our planet – and are completely overwhelmed by it.

Not so with future first leaders. Fully aware of what a huge problem climate change is, leaders with a future first mindset are instead compelled to seek solutions. They innovate new business models and products to push the value frontier of the future.