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CORPORATE INVESTMENT TIMES > Blog > 2025 > May 2025 > Building Trust and Driving Action, The Power of Communication and Leadership in Sustainability by CATARINA MILAGRE from Portugal
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Building Trust and Driving Action, The Power of Communication and Leadership in Sustainability by CATARINA MILAGRE from Portugal

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Last updated: May 20, 2025 8:35 am
Last updated: May 20, 2025 10 Min Read
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Building Trust and Driving Action, The Power of Communication and Leadership in Sustainability by CATARINA MILAGRE from Portugal
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In a world increasingly defined by climate breakdown, biodiversity collapse, and rising social and economic inequalities, sustainability is no longer a corporate buzzword or a policy trend—it has become a global imperative.
Yet, despite the mounting urgency and decades of scientific warnings, progressive legislation, and corporate pledges, our collective progress remains frustratingly uneven. What often stands in the way is not a lack of knowledge, innovation, or intention—but a deficit of trust.
At the heart of this trust gap lie two deeply intertwined elements: leadership and communication. These are not just abstract concepts. They are the engines that determine whether strategies become action, whether commitments are perceived as credible, and whether people feel empowered or excluded from the future we’re all trying to build.

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Trust: The Cornerstone of Sustainable Progress

Contents
In a world increasingly defined by climate breakdown, biodiversity collapse, and rising social and economic inequalities, sustainability is no longer a corporate buzzword or a policy trend—it has become a global imperative. Yet, despite the mounting urgency and decades of scientific warnings, progressive legislation, and corporate pledges, our collective progress remains frustratingly uneven. What often stands in the way is not a lack of knowledge, innovation, or intention—but a deficit of trust.At the heart of this trust gap lie two deeply intertwined elements: leadership and communication. These are not just abstract concepts. They are the engines that determine whether strategies become action, whether commitments are perceived as credible, and whether people feel empowered or excluded from the future we’re all trying to build.View Full Article: Download FULL PDF EditionView Full Article: Download FULL PDF Edition

Trust functions as the invisible infrastructure of sustainability. It underpins every stakeholder relationship—from citizens engaging with public policy, to consumers evaluating brand authenticity, to investors allocating capital based on ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) performance. Without it, even the most well-designed sustainability strategies falter.

Take, for instance, climate policy. Citizens must believe that decarbonization initiatives will not deepen inequality or disproportionately burden marginalized communities. Investors must feel confident that ESG data reflect genuine environmental and social impact—not just reputational window-dressing. And communities, especially those living in areas affected by industrial transitions or climate risk, must trust that their voices matter and their livelihoods will be protected.

Unfortunately, this trust is often fragile and, once broken, difficult to rebuild. We live in a time when greenwashing is widespread, sustainability claims lack transparency, and science is increasingly politicized. In such a context, skepticism grows. Net-zero pledges are viewed with suspicion. Doubts emerge around whether corporate climate strategies are authentic or merely designed to appease investors. Public disillusionment deepens when governments announce climate goals but continue subsidizing fossil fuels or delay action for electoral convenience.

Without trust, momentum stalls. People withdraw. Support withers. Progress slows.

Leadership That Inspires, Listens, and Learns

True leadership in the sustainability space does not mean having all the answers. On the contrary—it often begins with acknowledging what we don’t know. It’s about asking better questions, staying curious in the face of complexity, and acting with both courage and humility. It requires a tolerance for ambiguity and a deep commitment to long-term purpose over short-term gain.

Crucially, leadership in this context is not about status or authority. It’s about influence—and the ability to inspire others to care, to act, and to stay engaged even when the road ahead is difficult.

Consider Christiana Figueres, the former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), who played a pivotal role in shaping the 2015 Paris Agreement. Her leadership was grounded in what she described as “stubborn optimism”—a belief that transformation was not only necessary but possible. Through strategic empathy and tireless diplomacy, she helped foster trust between historically divided nations, enabling an unprecedented global consensus on climate action.

Contrast this with the raw, moral clarity of Greta Thunberg, whose grassroots leadership disrupted the status quo and mobilized millions. She didn’t hold office, manage a corporation, or lead a foundation. She led by speaking truth to power—with clarity, urgency, and unflinching honesty. Her leadership was communicative and relational. She reminded us that sometimes, the most powerful form of leadership is simply refusing to stay silent.

Both figures highlight a fundamental truth: sustainable leadership is not about mandating—it’s about mobilizing. It’s about building bridges instead of silos, and about modeling the very values—integrity, transparency, accountability—that we hope to see in the systems we change.

Communication: Turning Complexity into Connection

One of the biggest challenges in sustainability is the communication gap. Too often, climate science, regulatory frameworks, and ESG standards are trapped behind a wall of acronyms, metrics, and technocratic language—GHG emissions, SDGs, CSRD, taxonomy alignment. While these are important tools for professionals, they risk excluding the broader public from understanding or engaging with the issues that affect them most.

To drive action, sustainability must be translated—not dumbed down but made relevant. It must connect global trends to local realities. It must tell stories instead of just reciting statistics. And it must invite people in, rather than pushing them away with jargon.

Campaigns like the United Nations’ Act Now initiative have shown how personal choices—like reducing meat consumption or opting for sustainable transport—can aggregate into significant collective impact. Their success lies not just in information dissemination, but in empowerment through clear, relatable, and actionable messaging.

In the private sector, brands like Patagonia demonstrate that communication can be a powerful tool for both profit and purpose. Their radical transparency—publishing supply chain challenges, engaging customers in activism, and even encouraging them to buy less—has built loyalty and trust. They don’t just market products; they market values.

For communication to be truly effective, it must go beyond awareness. It must cultivate emotional intelligence, cultural sensitivity, and a deep understanding of people’s fears, hopes, and motivations. It must acknowledge climate anxiety, validate disillusionment, and still offer a sense of agency.

Importantly, it must shift the narrative from doom to possibility—not by sugarcoating the science, but by spotlighting the solutions, the pioneers, and the pathways that already exist.

Law, Institutions, and the Architecture of Trust

As a lawyer working at the intersection of energy, climate, and real estate, I’ve seen how legal frameworks can either nurture or undermine trust. When laws are ambiguous, outdated, or selectively enforced, they sow confusion and cynicism. But when they are clear, participatory, and fair, they become platforms for empowerment.

Building Trust and Driving Action, The Power of Communication and Leadership in Sustainability by CATARINA MILAGRE from Portugal

This is why legal leadership is a vital, though often overlooked, component of sustainable transformation. It’s not just about environmental regulations or emissions caps. It’s about embedding sustainability into the fabric of contracts, procurement policies, investment decisions, and institutional governance.

Take, for example, laws that require climate risk disclosures from companies. These increase accountability and enable investors to make informed choices. Or regulations that penalize greenwashing, ensuring that sustainability claims are backed by measurable data. Or public procurement laws that favor low-carbon solutions and social value creation.

But even the best-drafted laws are meaningless without effective communication. People need to understand what a new policy means for their electricity bill, their home renovation, their commute, or their child’s school environment. Legal texts must be translated into real-world impacts—with clarity, transparency, and respect.

Only when law and communication work hand in hand can we demystify the transition and make it feel just.

Silence is Complicity—Your Voice is Power

In the current context of ecological and social breakdown, neutrality is no longer an option. Choosing not to speak, not to act, or not to take a stand often serves to reinforce the status quo.

Leadership today requires courageous communication. It demands that we speak out—even when it’s uncomfortable. Corporations must align their public commitments with their lobbying activities. Governments must stop performing climate leadership on international stages while slashing environmental budgets at home. And professionals, across all fields—law, engineering, finance, academia—must move beyond compliance toward advocacy and innovation.

This is especially true in moments of contradiction. When ESG reporting becomes a box-ticking exercise, or when “green” funds include fossil fuel companies, silence allows deception to persist. Leadership, in these cases, is choosing to challenge the norm.

We all have a voice. And in sustainability, communication is leadership.

Lead With Integrity, Communicate With Purpose

As we navigate this decisive decade for climate action and social transformation, we must remember that sustainability is not just a technical challenge—it is a deeply human one.

If we want people to act, they must first believe.

If we want them to believe, they must first trust.

And if we want them to trust, we must lead—and communicate—with integrity.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur or a student, a policymaker or a parent, the invitation remains the same: use your voice. Show up with honesty. Build bridges. Foster dialogue. Challenge false solutions. And lead with your values.

The world doesn’t need perfect leaders. It needs real ones.
And real leadership begins with listening deeply, connecting authentically, and speaking with conviction.
Because in the end, trust is not built through perfection. It is built through truth.

Building Trust and Driving Action, The Power of Communication and Leadership in Sustainability by CATARINA MILAGRE from Portugal

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