Enthusiasm for corporate sustainability appears to be decreasingWhile big firms are seemingly quietly abandoning environmental goals, David Picton remains optimistic. For him, stability This is not an ethical issue, but a business driver.
Pickton, a self-described “food waste reduction demon” at home, is senior vice president of environment, social, governance (ESG) and sustainability at EcoOnline, a company that develops software tools to help organizations protect workers, comply with environmental regulations and implement sustainable practices.
From an early age, Pickton saw how environmentally conscious practices could shape communities. His involvement in the Duke of Edinburgh's Awards and the Scouts, followed by a degree in geography, left a mark.
“I saw from the beginning the impact you can have by working with others and the impact charities can have, especially community-focused charities. It's always meant a lot to me, it's always been a natural passion,” he says.
Pickton's professional journey began in the military, where he served during the transition from the Cold War era to the post-9/11 world. It was here that he realized his environmental sensitivity while working as a logistics and supply chain director.
“Being in the military, we were often involved with environmentally sensitive areas on training ranges. Another thing people don't realize is that you do a lot of community building work. People think the army is all about attack operations, but you spend a lot of time [doing] charitable work, I spend a lot of time working with communities and developing them.”
After leaving the military, Pickton deepened his understanding of supply chains, particularly in construction. This experience became a springboard to leadership positions in the areas of sustainability and ESG.
“I learned how companies are connected and how the supply chain works. That really led me to the role of chief safety and sustainability officer, where safety and sustainability are critical, looking at resource utilization, community connections, community building, volunteering, so you had those relationships with communities and you also created some social good.”
After founding his own consulting company, Pickton worked with businesses to link sustainability with sales growth. One of his clients, Alchemist, was later acquired by EcoOnline, where he was hired into his current position.
Today, he spends most of his time with clients, helping them create sustainable products and services that drive growth. “I spend a lot of time telling stories, things that will hopefully bring them to life. I spend a lot of time on stage, virtual or real, telling stories and being a translator of sorts.”
One of the highlights was speaking at the United Nations in Geneva. “It was a fantastic experience to be at headquarters with ministers from all over the world and ask how we, as a company, do these things.” [sustainable practices] into reality. Having the opportunity to go out there and talk to people from different countries and work abroad, you realize that ESG, sustainability, safety are all a common goal.”
Weakening business interest in saving the planet
In his work, Picton acknowledges that many firms are still cutting back on sustainability programs in an effort to cut costs, often dismissing them as a bureaucratic burden. Picton categorically rejects this view.
“You don't have to get everything right on day one. For me, it's about making sure there's a business case behind the investment.” [in sustainability]” Too often, he says, businesses panic and abandon initiatives before results are seen. “People panic a little and think they have to achieve everything on day one. If you roll it out over time and distribute it, it will work more effectively.”
According to Picton, sustainability works best when it is framed in terms of commercial benefit rather than moral obligation: “I remember talking to people who work at an entertainment company. They said, 'It's all about saving the planet,' and I said, 'You're not here to save the planet, you're here to provide entertainment.' Our responsibility is not to save the planet, but to use its resources responsibly. The planet will save itself, the planet will improve in every way.”
However, he warns that humanity is consuming limited resources faster than they can be replenished. “The idea of Environmental Crisis Day is useful because you can see how the date changes from year to year and how we are using up resources faster than we can, and these are resources that we depend on.”
Earth Overload Day is the date when humanity's demand for environmental resources exceeds the Earth's ability to regenerate those resources. For many years, scientists warned that we continue to use more resources than the planet can replenish. “This is not to save the planet, but to save future generations and live more responsibly now.”
The effects, he says, are already being seen: “You see countries that have struggled with extreme weather and extreme climates. You see where those hit by the hurricane season, the storm seasons that are coming through and affecting the UK. If you're more conscious of the environment, you're seeing the effects of extreme weather and, frankly, we're seeing a lot more of it now.”
Pickton says companies that think sustainability is incompatible with profit are wrong. “There's something wrong with the way you approach this challenge, because there's always a way to do it in a responsible way. You may not get there as quickly as you want, and I think that's where the trade-off comes in.”
He believes the energy debate is too often framed in binary terms: “There seems to be a competition between those who favor a renewable future and those who are committed to fossil fuels, but that is not realistic.”
He explains that competition must turn into cooperation as we move into a future where we will have to switch to renewable energy sources due to the limitations of fossil fuel energy.
Another new challenge, he adds, will be separating facts from lies in an information environment generated by artificial intelligence (AI). He warns against “noise distractions” from those who deny climate change for the sake of their “own agendas and agendas.”
“You can't deny the science, it's there, it's validated and proven over and over again. The trick is to find the right balance and talk about it in a structured way so you don't get accused of being bigoted, and approach it in a measured way, taking the emotion out of it. It's not about denying companies their future, it's about doing it in a much more responsible way.”
Despite the challenges, Picton remains hopeful. “It's very easy to hear negativity around this program,” he says, “when in fact I took a lot of hope and optimism from all of this. There are some great stories along the way and some great signs that people are taking this very responsibly and incorporating it into core business strategies. So hope and optimism is the last thing I would take away from this.”
