Does sustainability need a reboot?

Ellora-Julie Parekh, Chief Sustainability Officer, Al-Futtaim

For some time, “sustainability” has been on the back foot, not only as a semantic debate, but also as a concept when it is decoupled from business imperative and becomes a “nice-to-have,” closer to philanthropy or charitable giving.

Yet, the current global context has made that framing increasingly outdated. In a world shaped by geopolitical fragmentation, supply chain disruptions, extreme weather and growing resource constraints, sustainability is no longer primarily about reputation. It is about resilience, and ultimately, security.

Sustainability at cross-roads

What has changed? Sustainability professionals always had to ground their efforts in impact, calculated in financial terms, typically revenue upside, cost savings or risks mitigated. But when scenarios for 2026 are hard to compute, why even bother with a three-year plan?

This is particularly evident in preparedness for extreme weather events, which may statistically occur “once every 100 years” but are becoming increasingly frequent. But resilience investments often compete with short-term operational priorities. It has become harder than ever to convince businesses to incorporate these risks into planning.

But the changing context – not unlike how COVID-19 tested supply chain resilience – is testing how global businesses operate in a fragmented world. If sustainable investments (for example in renewables) mean less dependency on imports, the business case suddenly becomes more attractive. In World Economic Forum meetings, sustainability is now framed through themes such as “energy autonomy,” “sovereignty,” and “food security.” These are no longer peripheral topics; they are strategic priorities that influence national stability and competitiveness. This has placed the role of business back at the core of the national agenda, and sustainability and government affairs teams need to work closely together to deliver on this.

In the UAE, this mindset has been visible as well. In response to crisis, the government encouraged all stakeholders, including the private sector, to contribute ideas and shape solutions. It directly asked for suggestions to better support residents, visitors, and small businesses. In difficult times, it is a powerful signal when stakeholders come together around a shared national objective. When all parties realize they are part of a common ecosystem and act in broader interest, systems become more resilient.

What resilience looks like in practice

Resilience needs to be defined in practical terms. In the built environment, resilience is the ability of cities to continue functioning economically and socially, even as climate stress, demographic growth, and infrastructure pressures intensify.

Al-Futtaim' recent white paper on Rethinking Urbanisation and Mobility in the GCC – which predates current events – explores how rapid urban growth in our region can be resilient by design. This requires leveraging innovation and technology to rethink how we build cities, integrating mobility from the outset to address issues like congestion, emissions, and public health.

We need a new approach to place-making specific to the GCC’s rapid growth, climate realities, and demographics, including age and culture. In Dubai for example, with the population rising from less than 2 million in 2010 to over 4 million in late 2025, interdependencies between real estate, transport networks and service delivery have become painfully clear.

At Al-Futtaim, our portfolio touches people’s lives across this entire journey – where they shop, where they live, what car they drive, where they dine. This gives us both insight and responsibility.

Consumer demand for sustainable products is here to stay

Consumer preferences are already shifting in the GCC. In a UAE survey of 1,200 respondents conducted in June 2025, 91% of respondents said sustainable values influence their daily choices, while 84% said they actively choose sustainable products when shopping. Food emerged as the category where sustainable purchasing is most established. It is a clear signal that sustainability is moving into the mainstream of consumer decision-making. The top four nationalities most likely to actively choose sustainable products are people from Philippines (96%), India (85%), Pakistan (83%), and UAE (81%). On electric mobility, 24% of respondents said they would consider buying a new energy vehicle (plug-in hybrid or fully electric) for their next car, and hikes in fuel prices may accelerate this transition further.

With brands such as IKEA, M&S, Ace, Toyota, Volvo, and BYD in our portfolio, this strong customer appetite is a clear signal that sustainability is becoming embedded in consumer expectations and will increasingly define market leadership.

Sustainability is about strategic choices

So, what does this mean for sustainability as a field – is it dead? It might be in its old form of “doing well by doing good.” But it is not disappearing. It is being reincarnated.

Resilience is part of that shift, but even that word has limits. It does not fully capture the trade-offs organizations now face in a world of finite resources, rising expectations and growing economic pressure. Stewardship may be a more useful concept for the years ahead. It speaks not only to adaptation, but to judgment, the ability to make deliberate choices, understand consequences, and take responsibility for long-term outcomes, not only for shareholders but for all stakeholders on which businesses depend.