23 January, 2026

Every January, sustainability leaders revisit the question: how ambitious can we really be this year? It feels particularly pressing as we enter 2026, with geopolitical uncertainty and an evolving regulatory landscape making long term planning more complex. 

This is the question explored by Ecologi’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Simon Heppner, who many of us at Good Business remember from his time on our own team. His recent reflections highlight a pattern familiar across the sector. Faced with budget pressures and internal scrutiny, sustainability teams often lower their sights before the real negotiation has even begun. 

Ecologi points to a principle from negotiation theory that offers a useful counterbalance. Anchoring high means setting an initial level of ambition that reflects the scale of the challenge rather than what feels safe. In most business functions, strong opening positions are normal. They shape the discussion, signal seriousness, expose trade-offs early, and create space for productive negotiation. Sustainability, however, often starts from a moderated place, which can inadvertently shrink opportunity and dilute impact. 

At Good Business, we believe the case for holding ambition high remains as strong as ever. Frameworks such as Net Zero still provide clarity, direction, and accountability even as the landscape shifts. Anchoring high is not about ignoring constraints. It is about ensuring ambition sets the direction before compromise sets the limits. It keeps sustainability ambitions and climate action aligned with need, not convenience. 

It is with this mindset that we have entered a new partnership with Ecologi. Through their Projects and Impact Funds, which support climate action and nature restoration, we can guide clients towards trusted solutions that complement their Net Zero strategies and address unavoidable emissions responsibly. Having worked with Simon and his team when he set up Net Zero Now (now part of Ecologi), we know how the work Ecologi does strengthens the alignment in our approach and our focus on urgency in addressing climate change. It also means that when we help clients shape their Net Zero strategies, we can support them to anchor their ambition high. 

By Hillevi Fock