Climate: Break the mold and act
The phrase “moonshot thinking” is derived from a pivotal moment in history: John F. Kennedy’s pledge that the United States would land a man on the moon before the end of the decade. At the time, the goal seemed impossible: there was no detailed plan, no available technology, no allocated resources. But the ambition sparked a momentum that changed everything.
That’s exactly the mindset needed for tackling climate challenges! If you hold off until all the conditions are in place, you’ll never act. If you work within the boundaries of current business models and existing constraints, all you’ll achieve is marginal optimization. But the world doesn’t change through minor tweaks: it changes when you bet big.
Cross-Synthesis of
« The Boardroom Mindset Blocking Climate Action » by Jaap Winter, (INSEAD Knowledge, March 2025) and « The Dragons of Inaction: Psychological Barriers That Limit Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation » by Robert Gifford (American Psychologist 2011)
1/ Set a goal that’s a game changer
A moonshot isn’t just a slightly improved environmental KPI: it’s a goal so ambitious that it forces a complete rethink of the organization. Ask yourself:
- What would we do if we aimed to become the most regenerative company in our industry?
- What would it take to operate at net-zero by 2030—not 2050?
- How would we reinvent our sector if we were a new player, unburdened by legacy systems and constraints?
Example: Interface, a carpet manufacturer, launched “Mission Zero” back in the 1990s to eliminate its entire carbon footprint by 2020. At the time, the company had no clear idea how to meet their goal, but their ambition pushed them to rethink everything: their processes, materials and partnerships. And in doing so, Interface became a pioneer of the circular economy.
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