Inviting, Not Demanding: It's Time to Ground Sustainability

Today’s discourse on sustainability is increasingly dense with standards, metrics, and complex frameworks. ESG, net zero, and various global reporting guidelines are produced and reproduced as prerequisites for progress. However, behind this intensification, a question rarely asked honestly arises: does this approach truly broaden engagement, or does it narrow it? The prevailing tendency indicates something that needs to be wary of. Sustainability is increasingly constructed as a technocratic domain, understood by a select few, implemented by institutions, and measured through instruments not always close to everyday life. In such conditions, individuals are no longer positioned as active parts of change, but rather as parties expected to follow a predetermined direction. At this point, an overly heavy approach has the potential to become counterproductive. Instead of encouraging participation, it can give rise to cognitive fatigue and psychological distance. Sustainability then appears as something “right”, but not always “accessible”. Therefore, a correction is needed in the way we invite. One approach worth considering is the eco-efficiency persuasive movement, a way to build engagement through rational, contextual invitations that are not burdensome. This approach does not prioritise demands, but rather shows that environmentally more efficient actions are also aligned with individuals’ practical interests. This approach is also in line with the perspective in Stakeholder Theory popularised by Freeman (1984), which positions sustainability as a shared responsibility of all stakeholders, not just institutions or corporations, but also individuals as active parts of the system. In this framework, sustainability does not stop at the policy level, but needs to be lived in everyday practices by those involved in it. Further, in the next 5–10 years, the social and economic landscape will be increasingly influenced by generations with different preferences in responding to public issues. These generations tend not to respond to approaches based solely on pressure or obligation. On the contrary, they are more motivated when they have space to choose, feel capable of carrying out the actions, and see the connection between personal choices and broader meaning, as clearly depicted in the Self-Determination Theory developed by Deci and Ryan (1985). Without an approach that understands these dimensions, sustainability risks losing its relevance in the eyes of the generations that will dominate the future direction. This is where it is important to present sustainability in a form that is more livable. Efficiency is not only a technical strategy, but also an engagement strategy.