Changing the Story: From Competition to Collaboration — Reflections From Paul Polman and Michael Colarossi at AD Stretch Connect

By Upma Arora

What happens when a former global CEO and a sustainability leader meet for an honest, unscripted conversation? You get more than talk on carbon footprints and environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics. You get a wake-up call, grounded in insight, hope and a call to act.

As part of the AD Stretch Connect series at the WWF Earth Summit 2025, I had the privilege of organizing a fireside chat between Paul Polman, business leader, investor, philanthropist and former CEO of Unilever, and Michael Colarossi, head of sustainability at Avery Dennison. What followed wasn't just a dialogue. It was an invitation to rethink leadership, redefine value and embrace collaboration.

Beyond metrics: A new definition of sustainability

Polman didn't start with charts or KPIs. He started with clarity.

"Sustainability isn't a climate crisis. It's a human crisis. If your personal greed is more important than the future of your children, you're missing something."

That hit hard, and it should. Beneath the language of ESG and compliance lies a deeper truth: we risk forgetting the why. Sustainability isn't just about emissions or resource use. It's about the choices we make and the future they shape.

The real shift isn't adding sustainability to business. It's making sustainability the business.

Polman pointed to the visible costs of inaction: broken food systems, collapsing ecosystems and economies built on extraction. Colarossi urged us to stop overcomplicating and focus on what matters: Are we trading long-term survival for short-term gain?

Both agreed that it's not a tech or funding gap. It's a mindset gap. The tools exist. What's missing is the will to use them differently.

From managing projects to driving systems change

Despite clear evidence of the long-term value in sustainable models, many companies still treat sustainability as a siloed initiative, easily sidelined when pressure hits.

Polman put it bluntly: "Most CEOs still see sustainability as CSR. That's why it's the first thing to go when things get tough."

The real issue, he argued, is our failure to shift from isolated efforts to true systems change. Climate, biodiversity, water and inclusive economies—they're all connected, and solving them demands leaders who can navigate these interdependencies.

Future-fit leadership means spotting the tipping points that drive transformation. This isn't just an environmental challenge. It's structural, behavioral and strategic.

The leadership deficit

Colarossi raised a fundamental tension: despite clear returns on sustainability investments (some studies show $9 for every $1 invested), many business leaders remain hesitant.

Polman got to the heart of it. Few CEOs talk openly about the upside of sustainable business, and none want to admit they're creating value at the planet's expense. The result is a culture of silence. Leaders defer to short-term pressures, quarterly results, investor expectations and immediate market dynamics rather than long-term value creation.

A sobering point, not a critique, but a call to courage. CEOs regularly bet on five-, 10-, even 15-year horizons, so why not do the same for humanity's future? Polman argued that sustainability provokes a different kind of discomfort. It challenges our ideas of growth, control and value, pushing us to face not just operational but ethical change.

"You don't need the whole world to agree to create change. Sometimes 5 to 10% is enough, if it's the right part of the value chain."

Innovation grounded in impact

This wasn't just talk. Colarossi shared real-world innovation: RFID-enabled pricing with Kroger cut food waste by 30%, and McDonald's circular packaging now runs in more than 1,500 stores across France.

Polman added, a bar soap that disinfects in 10 seconds instead of 30 saves significant amounts of water. A low-suds detergent cuts rinse cycles, crucial in water-scarce regions.

He also highlighted innovations with broader systemic impact: mycelium-based leather that addresses animal agriculture, methane emissions and deforestation; regenerative agriculture technologies that restore soil health faster than traditional methods.

These are not hypothetical breakthroughs of the distant future. They exist today. What stands in the way is adoption and the hesitation of going first.

A better story to believe in

Perhaps the most compelling moment of the conversation came when Polman shifted from facts to stories. He challenged one of the prevailing myths in business that senior leaders must operate at the top, above the rest, as if leadership is a solitary pursuit.

"That's a bad story," he said, "and we need to stop behaving as if it's true."

Leadership, he reminded us, is not about control. It's about accountability. It's about vision. And most importantly, it's about collaboration.

As humans, we behave and live according to the stories we tell ourselves about growth, power and success. If we want a different outcome, we need to tell a different story, an honest one. One in which companies are co-creators of a regenerative economy. One in which profits and purpose are not at odds. One in which leadership is defined not by dominance but by courage and contribution.

Final reflections: From fireside to frontline

As the session ended, I felt both urgency and hope. We don't lack capital, solutions or technology. We lack shared belief and coordinated will. This moment demands boldness, not blame; collective progress, not siloed wins.

Here's our invitation:
Let’s change the story.
Shift from competition to collaboration,
from extractive to regenerative
and from fear to leadership.

The future isn't inherited.
It's co-created.