Sustainability Analyst | ESG Reporting & Data Governance | Environmental Management Systems | ISO 14001 Lead Auditor | GRI Accredited Trainer | MBA | GSI Environmental
Sustainability Analyst at GSI Environmental with a background in sustainability, accounting, and finance. She works with clients to integrate sustainability considerations into business planning, reporting infrastructure, and credible disclosures aligned with investor and regulatory expectations.
2025 was a year of uncertainty and change in sustainability. At times, it felt like being on a rollercoaster, full of ups and downs and, sometimes, nausea-inducing turns that flip everything upside down. But when you’re upside down at the top of the ride, the amusement park hasn’t changed; you’re just seeing it from a different angle. The same was true of the sustainability landscape in 2025. The work didn’t stop, but my perspective changed.
That shift in perspective mirrors how our team tends to talk about regulatory and political environments, as a pendulum. After years of heightened attention to climate reporting, that pendulum has swung toward caution and restraint. Companies may be quieter about ESG, but the need for integrated sustainability practices remains very real.
Organizations are recognizing that sound environmental management practices are sound business practices. Sustainability, risk management, and finance are not processes that should be siloed; these concepts are critical to one another’s success. Watching those connections click in real time is a genuine lightbulb moment and reminds me that what we do goes far beyond checking a box.
Even as regulations shifted and timelines blurred, pressures did not let up. Data requests kept coming, waste and materials questions became more frequent, and conversations about governance moved from “if” to “how”, especially as new requirements like EPR laws and the EU’s PPWR reshaped expectations for environmental management.
Working with clients through this uncertainty gave me a front-row seat to how sustainability shows up day-to-day within organizations. What stands out to me is that the companies making real progress were not chasing the next rule but leaning on foundational management systems to stay grounded in their approach. Frameworks such as ISO 14001, COSO, and other enterprise-level management frameworks help companies embed sustainability into existing controls rather than react to regulatory changes. In my experience, these systems often determine whether sustainability efforts endure leadership changes, regulatory shifts, or public backlash. It’s a reminder that if sustainability is going to last inside organizations, it must be built into how the business actually runs.
Looking back on 2025, I’ve come to see uncertainty as part of the job rather than a detour from it. Shifting regulations and evolving expectations create challenges, but they also push organizations to build resilience in more meaningful ways. Again and again, I’ve seen companies value sustainability tracking and management not just for compliance, but for the operational efficiency it brings. That’s what gives me confidence that this work will continue to matter, even as the reporting landscape continues to change.
Return to 2025: Working Through the Mess and the Shift that Defined the Year
