Not My Problem? - Why sustainability is too expensive to ignore

This book makes the practical, financial and evidence-based case that sustainability is not a cost centre, a compliance burden or someone else's responsibility. Regardless of politics, sustainability is the defining business opportunity of our generation. Backed with facts and figures, global and ASEAN case examples, this book is a pragmatic guide for every leader who wants to turn that opportunity into real business value.

Drawing on twenty-five years of transformational leadership experience across more than thirty-five countries, Akkerman translates complex sustainability challenges into clear, decision-ready steps spanning leadership, risk, purpose, people, planet, profit, technology, marketing and change management. Original frameworks including StepWise™, the Purpose Full Circle Map™ and Return on Mother Earth (ROME)™ give you the tools to move from intention to measurable impact.

Uncomfortable without moralising. Challenging without prescribing. Written for leaders who are curious enough to pick this up and honest enough to finish it.

Those who will look back on this period without regret are the ones who realised, before it was easy, that it was their problem after all.

Foreword by Rob van Tulder, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands

"Akkerman takes on perhaps the biggest hurdle to corporate action on sustainability – the stubborn belief that it’s just a cost or a compliance exercise. It’s neither. Not My Problem? makes a strong case that sustainability is pragmatic, commercially grounded, and one of the biggest business opportunities leaders are leaving on the table." - Andrew Winston, Author Net Positive and The Big Pivot