The knowing–doing delusion

Despite unprecedented knowledge of climate risk, biodiversity loss, and social inequity, many organisations still fall short of aligning decisions with what they know to be true. This white paper explores the hidden dynamics behind this gap and what it will take to close it.

The challenge facing businesses today is not ignorance but inertia. Sustainability has been widely acknowledged, integrated into reports, and embedded into corporate language. Yet real-world decisions often remain structurally misaligned with planetary limits and social equity.

The paper reveals how psychological biases, cultural narratives, and institutional structures sustain this contradiction. From moral licensing to normalcy bias, from institutional schizophrenia to sustainability as theatre, organisations risk mistaking performance for progress.

The call is for alignment between values and operations, long-term risks and short-term incentives, ambition and execution.

To meet this leadership test, companies must move beyond gestures and take decisions that are proportionate to the risks they already recognise.