Why this conversation matters

The word “sustainability” has become heavy. It carries too much emotion, too much politics, and not enough clarity.

As Rob Agnew puts it:

“The debate’s been hijacked by extremes. One side says it’s all doom; the other says it’s all nonsense. Most people are just trying to pay the bills.”

That middle ground, where practical progress actually happens, is where Rob and Cat Biggart spend their time. Both work in strategic communications and see the same pattern: companies either speak in jargon or go quiet out of fear. Neither helps anyone move forward.

How the story begins

Cat grew up outside Sydney, where she says she “spent more time saving bees from the pool than swimming.” She studied psychology and went into marketing, but the pull toward the natural world never left. That’s shaped how she sees business: as something that should support, not exploit, the environment it depends on.

Rob’s story starts on a small farm on the Bucks–Northants border.

“I saw what happens when environmental policy ignores people’s lives,” he says.

Later, in Texas, he watched communities wrestle with the economic side of the energy transition. Those experiences gave him a grounded view of what real responsibility looks like.

The turning point

For both, the turning point came when sustainability talk got louder, but less useful.

“We spent years appealing to emotion,” Rob says. “Now we need to appeal to reason.”

That doesn’t mean ditching ambition. It means showing what progress feels like in people’s lives. “Talk about the things they notice,” he says. “Lower bills, cleaner air, safer jobs. Not a 2035 target they can’t picture.”

Cat agrees:

“People tune out when the message feels abstract. They want to know, what’s this going to do for me, for my family, for my business?”

A practical kind of storytelling

Both believe the future of sustainability communication lies in honesty and proof. “Say what you’re doing, and show the results,” Cat says.

“If you missed a target, own it. People can handle bad news. What they can’t handle is spin.”

Rob’s rule is even simpler. “I’d ban most corporate words. The minute you sound like a press release, people stop listening.”

They describe good sustainability storytelling as “win-win-win”: good for business, good for people, and good for the planet. Not perfect, just real.

The moral tension: fear vs. responsibility

Many companies have pulled back from public sustainability talk. Some call it “green-hushing.” Cat sees the risk. “Silence isn’t neutral,” she says.

“If you stop talking, the loudest, most polarised voices fill the space.”

The fear of backlash has made brands cautious, but Rob argues that responsibility requires persistence. “If you believe in what you’re doing, explain it. Don’t hide behind silence. Find language that works.”

What gives hope

Both sense the conversation maturing. Sustainability is moving from marketing to management, from slogans to strategy. “We’re starting to see resilience replace rhetoric,” Rob says. “Businesses want to do what works, not what sounds good.”

Cat adds that younger communicators are bringing new energy.

“They care, but they’re also pragmatic. They know the world’s messy, and that’s okay. Progress doesn’t have to be perfect.”

The takeaway

Sustainability isn’t failing, it’s growing up. The next step is to make it understandable again. Speak plainly. Tell the truth. Admit the trade-offs.

As Cat puts it, “You can’t build trust with a slogan.” And as Rob reminds us:

“Responsibility starts when you stop talking to yourself.”