Is it more important to change the minds of people or companies?

In our current political landscape, the structural power of companies arguably rivals government institutions. Multinational corporations, in particular, have an incredible scale of control. Their supply chains and consumer networks span over several continents. Consequently, the decisions and approaches that one MNC makes will have an effect over all the countries they operate in and invest with.

Changing the minds of individuals ensures that sustainability becomes more ingrained as a societal norm, therefore sustaining long-term change, but individuals are limited by choices made available by businesses. Promoting good household recycling practices is imperative to creating a more sustainable society by changing the individual’s habits. But if businesses continue using so much plastic and wasteful production processes, then the individual’s actions towards sustainability are disproportionate against the environmental costs being made by firms. As many fellow delegates have pointed out, companies are massive contributors of carbon emissions. We should support both individuals and companies to be more sustainable. Getting more individuals to boycott firms, protest against environmentally harmful ventures, and maintain strong activism channels is key to promoting sustainability. But ultimately these actions are to change the minds of companies, The power of companies – through their reputations, investments, and even elite political connections – have a deep, deep influence on creating more sustainable nations.

Companies play a role in meeting the needs of people, hence their mindset is important if they launch the products that are environmentally friendly. However, I believe people as consumers can use their voices in the formation of green technology, boosting the process of environmentally friendly products of those companies, they can choose to boycott the firms that harm the environment and make them change the way they do businesses.