During the ChangeNOW Summit 2026 in Paris, our colleagues Inge van Nispen, Nicole Tollenaar and Manon Bezemer explored how sustainability, leadership and regeneration are shaping the future of business and society. Below we share the most important key insights.
Real change in organisations starts with people
Embedding sustainability in corporate strategy requires more than targets. In a session on Internal Transformation, Otto Scharmer, Founding Chair of the Presencing Institute, underlined that real change starts internally in the way people think, collaborate and innovate.
He pointed out a striking paradox:
- 69% of people want to make a positive difference
- 68% feel that what they do does not really matter
As a result, people often hold back instead of acting on their intentions. Over time, this leads to outcomes that do not reflect what individuals actually want to contribute.
As Scharmer put it:
‘We collectively create results that nobody wants.’
For organisations, this highlights the importance of:
- clear goals and shared purpose
- meaning in daily work
- conditions that enable employees to make better decisions
Adrien Cassegrain, Transformation and Sustainability Director at Longchamp, added that this only works when employees clearly understand what the company is doing and why. Leadership alone cannot do everything. Clear governance and strong communication are essential to truly empower people.
Effective leadership, Scharmer concluded, also requires embracing non action, discomfort and not knowing. By not always rushing into action and instead creating space to pause and reflect, leaders open up new and often better perspectives that support stronger decisions.
Reconnecting people with nature
Another recurring theme was the growing disconnect between people and nature. A recent study shows that human connection to nature has declined by around 60% over the past 200 years. Without emotional connection, facts and figures alone rarely lead to action.
Speakers stressed that people only protect what they feel connected to. Education therefore plays a crucial role in rebuilding this bond through nature-based learning.
Inspiring examples included:
- Earth Education, which focuses on experiential learning in nature.
- IAMWATER, where children learn about ocean preservation by first reconnecting with open water. For some, this even meant learning how to swim for the first time.
Connecting with nature also starts with connecting to ourselves. Simple practices such as slowing down or meditating can already make a difference. Spending time in nature builds resilience, confidence and valuable life skills.
Why healthy soils are the basis of healthy lives
The health of our soils emerged as a key driver in addressing some of today’s biggest challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss and human health.
Speakers explored how soil vitality directly influences:
- the nutritional value of our food
- the integrity of fibres and raw materials
- long-term ecosystem resilience
Intensive farming, extensive use of pesticides and monocultures such as growing single crops like corn or sugar beet over large areas are steadily reducing vitamins and minerals in our soils, putting pressure on soil health while using valuable land mainly for sugar production.
As Zuzanna Zielinska from HarvestCare explained:
‘Glucose is one of the most common monocultures, so we are using one of our most precious resources, soil, to grow sugar.’
Soil degradation is hard to see. That is why speakers encouraged organisations to communicate health benefits first, as these resonate more strongly. Environmental benefits naturally follow.
By linking healthcare and agriculture, true agrihealth systems can emerge that benefit both people and planet, while also helping farmers reduce costs.
Women and indigenous leaders driving regeneration
During the workshop Women regenerating our world, organisation Commonland highlighted the essential role women play in regenerative farming and landscape restoration.
Women:
- produce more than half of the world’s food
- have always played a key role in agri-food systems
- remain underrepresented in decision-making spaces
To help change this, 2026 was officially named the year of the female farmer.
One of the powerful voices during the event was Nemonte Nenquimo, Waorani leader and defender of the Amazon rainforest. As the first female president of the Waorani organisation of Pastaza province, she led her people to a historic legal victory protecting half a million acres of rainforest from oil drilling.
She shared that in her native language there is no word for “nature”, because humans, animals and trees are seen as one, prompting us to reflect on how we often separate ourselves from that whole.
Imagining a positive future
Despite global warming crossing the 1.5°C threshold and increasing misinformation about climate change, one of the strongest messages of ChangeNOW was that there is still hope for a future where people can live on a healthy planet. At the same time, it showed that practical solutions to get there already exist.
This became tangible during a live recording of the Better Future podcast with Rob Hopkins. He invited the audience to imagine the world in 2036 and fall in love with a positive future.
His key message:
- everything we need already exists somewhere
- imagination is essential for change
- shift the narrative from ‘the end of’ to ‘the beginning of’
You can watch the full live podcast here:
Giving future generations a seat at the table
Another inspiring moment was the screening of Damon Gameau’s documentary Future Council. In this initiative, children form a future council within organisations, giving nature and the next generation a voice in decision-making. They challenge leaders with honest and critical questions and push beyond socially desirable answers.
Future Councils are now emerging worldwide.
More information: https://futurecouncil.global/
Moving forward together
Today, we see oportunities to strengthen this impact by constantly evaluating the ingredients in our formulations by sourcing those from a sustainable origin.
We invite our business partners to reflect on sourcing choices and their impact on life on earth. Build longing for a positive future by telling stories that make it tangible, desirable and achievable.
