Sustainability jargon gets a bad rap.

Read about corporate sustainability laws, climate finance incentives, or clean energy tax breaks, and you'll soon be swimming in a sea of acronyms.

To list off a few:

• CSRD

• ESRS

• LCA

• CBAM

• CDR

• DAC

• CRCF

• REDD

• IRA

And the list of acronyms and terms goes on and on.

For beginners trying to understand these terms, it's overwhelming — like learning a whole new language.

Sustainability jargon is a deterrent for some. But these terms (and the legislations pushing them) are creating the largest-ever "inner circle" of corporate sustainability leaders.

Sustainability jargon creates an "inner circle" of people who have a shared understanding of the world.

For those who "speak the language," the linguistic shortcuts strengthen bonds and creates efficiencies. And despite the ever-increasing number of new acronyms and new hurdles to jump through, interest in corporate sustainability is increasing faster than ever. In 2024, a record-breaking 24,000 corporates voluntarily disclosed sustainability data to CDP.

Maybe corporate sustainability is growing not in spite of sustainability jargon, but (in part) because of it.

Stop seeing sustainability jargon as something we need to avoid. Instead, recognize that to remake our economy, we need a new common language.

Of course, we need to continue educating and onboarding beginners.

But to reach net-zero emissions in the next few decades, we have to totally reinvent our economy.

Isn't it reasonable we'd have a new common language to go with it?