Over the summer I have been immersed in the world of regenerative agriculture: chairing panels, joining farm tours, and attending summits and festivals. Beneath the inevitable debates “What is regenerative?” “Is it just organic by another name?” “Will there be a standard?” a deeper insight emerged. One that matters not just to farmers, but to sustainability professionals everywhere. 

We don’t have the luxury of time. Whether we’re regenerating soil or building resilient supply chains, we must move beyond debates and into action. And to do that, we need to learn from the mindset of regenerative farming; a mindset that is outcome-led, context-specific, and always evolving. This has got me thinking about transferring the lessons learnt in regenerative agriculture into corporate sustainability: 

Lesson One: Focus on outcomes, not just standards

At the heart of regenerative farming is a powerful shift from compliance and standards to real and tangible outcomes – Healthy soils, cleaner water, increased biodiversity, nutritious food, carbon sequestration. Regenerative farming is not about following the rules but about being driven by positive outcomes. 

I cannot help but feel that the corporate sustainability world could use more of that. While frameworks and standards play an important role, they too often become ends in themselves. We often hear from our clients that they wish they could spend less time on data and reporting and more time on solutions. There is a real risk that we get bogged down in paperwork and lose sight of why we started this work in the first place: to solve problems. To tackle the climate and nature crises and social inequality.  

This outcome driven mindset will push us to answer uncomfortable but important questions. Not “have we set a scope 3 target?” but “are we reducing our emissions in line with the science?” not “have we identified our risks and dependencies on nature?” but “is nature better off because of us?”. 

Lesson Two: Be context-specific and agile

Regenerative agriculture doesn’t offer one-size-fits-all answers. The right practice for one farm could be completely wrong for another, interventions will change within farms and even with fields. Success depends on location, soil, aspect, stage in a rotation, weather and a bit of luck! It’s a highly responsive, deeply contextual approach.  

Corporate sustainability should be the same. What works in one business unit or country may not work in another. Global strategies must be flexible enough to adapt to local realities. The corporate world has already demonstrated the value of embedding greater flexibility into the way it goes about delivering solutions. But, like regenerative farmers, we must learn through doing. The best solutions emerge not from perfection at the outset, but from iteration, trial and error, and a willingness to evolve. This is essentially “agile delivery”; an approach to getting work done that prioritises three key principles working in a way that is empowering and collaborative, iterative and flexible and outcomes-focused. So where this concept is proving successful in the world of regenerative agriculture, as well as making its way across the modern corporate business model, it seems clear that it’s time to introduce agility to the corporate sustainability journey. 

Lesson Three: Progress over perfection 

Regenerative farming is a movement, not a manual. It’s messy, diverse, and far from complete and this should be seen as a strength. It is driven by pioneering farmers who are dissatisfied with the status quo (particularly in the UK with the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) loosing traction) and cannot wait for government support or funding. They cannot wait for the perfect legislation, standard, industry consensus or funding. They are just getting on with it. Sound familiar?  

Sustainability teams should take note. We often delay action in pursuit of perfect data or ideal standards. But in doing so, we risk missing the moment. The challenges we face are urgent. Like regenerative farmers, we need to build momentum and improve as we go. 

This doesn’t mean abandoning rigour. We must continue to collect data and measure what matters. We must continue to follow guidance and legislation where it exists. But we must also ensure we are moving at pace, learning as we go and keeping at least one eye on what really matters: outcomes. 

Conclusion: Cultivating a new corporate mindset

The regenerative mindset is curious, collaborative and holistic. It’s all about relentlessly focusing on outcomes. It is also engaging, exciting, something people naturally want to be a part of. It embraces complex systems rather than trying to control them. It rewards progress over perfection. 

If we’re serious about building resilient organisations and tackling complex systems we’d do well to learn from regenerative farmers. Moving from ticking boxes to driving impact. Regenerating, not just sustaining.  

At Simply Sustainable, we believe sustainability is not a checklist; it’s a movement. We help businesses embrace regenerative outcomes, act with agility, and design context-specific strategies that evolve with the world around them. To discuss further get in touch here.  

To understand more, contact our Head of Carbon and Climate, Henry Unwin here.