Recurring problem patterns
Sustainability-related requirements and commitments often fail for six recurring reasons:
- they are missing or too generic to support and guide action
- they are hidden, misaligned, or misplaced across the contract stack
- they are communicated in legalese, sustainabilitese, or poorly structured and difficult-to-use formats
- they are unfeasible, unrealistic, or disconnected from business reality
- responsibility for implementation is unclear
- they are not embedded into organisational processes, practices, and decision-making
The problems are discussed below in the same order as in the Compass scorecard, moving from contract content to implementation – from words to action, and ultimately to embedding sustainable contracting:
- Relevance – Missing or generic content
- Architecture – Hidden, misaligned, or misplaced content
- Language & Design – Complex or unclear communication
- Feasibility & Realism – Unfeasible or unrealistic requirements
- Action & Implementation – Unassigned responsibility; not embedded in practice