C&D World 2025: Creating resilient companies through sustainable business practices

Sustainability business practices present challenges for many companies, but these challenges can be opportunities to create more strong and resilient companies, says Susan K. Robinson, keynote speaker at the 2025 C&D World Conference & Exhibition—and embracing these practices may be necessary for future success.

Robinson, a former sustainability policy director for WM who now runs Susan K. Robinson Consulting, spoke on the future of construction and demolition (C&D) recycling with Construction & Demolition Recycling Association (CDRA) Executive Director and CEO Terri Ward as part of a fireside chat that served as the opening keynote session for C&D World, CDRA’s annual conference and exhibition.

Sustainability makes good business sense, Robinson said, adding that it’s important for operators to think beyond tons and diversion and to remember the value and strength of being good stewards to the environment and developing good business practices to create resilience.

“It's a 360-degree approach to taking care of your employees, your customers, your communities, your regulators and the environment,” Robinson said. “There's been a tendency in our industry to think that, because we're recyclers, we're doing enough. Maybe we don't need to invest in the latest trucks that are low-emissions vehicles, or maybe we don't think we need to use renewable electricity or buy expensive solar panels because we're doing a great thing. We're recycling, right? And we're diverting from the landfill. That's all that matters. Well, I guess I would say, in 2025, I don't think our stakeholders think that that is enough.”

The data shows that 20 out of the last 22 years have been the hottest years on records, “and the issue is, for all of us in this room, that has a lot of significant impact on business,” Robinson said.

Climate change brings a cost to business, Robinson says. Climate and disaster events such as fires in the West, precipitation in the South and floods in the Midwest have impacted infrastructure, reduce productivity and increase energy costs.

Recycling is one of the industries that is expected to see greater financial impact around climate change, Robinson said, likely because of the amount of capital-intensive infrastructure and equipment that is susceptible to weather.

“We’ve had events like this our whole lives,” Robinson said, “but what’s increasing is the magnitude and the frequency of events, which is really what’s causing the increased cost to companies and to society.”

Those costs are staggering, she says, with data showing that between the four-year time frame of 2000 and 2004, the cost of weather events was about $460 billion. Between 2020 and 2024, that cost was over a trillion dollars—more than double the cost—and doesn’t even include the Los Angeles fires in January of 2025.

The cost of insurance is affected by climate as well. Insurance premiums for climate resilience and protection for natural causes are expected to increase by 50 percent through 2030, Robinson said.

“That’s a significant cost to businesses. Also, insurance companies are pulling back and, in some instances, places can’t even get insurance and are becoming uninsurable,” Robinson said.

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Robinson addressed the new federal administration and a reduced focus on sustainability, and what that means for the industry. Often, she explained, as the federal government starts to constrict on some of its environmental or sustainability-related programs, states will lean into providing some of that programming.

At the federal level, efforts to rein in regulations and cut back red tape could provide potential for C&D recyclers, Robinson said.

“There are a lot of great regulations in place, but I think all of us, and I think business in particular, would like to see less time, less cost spent on regulation,” Robinson said. “This is another place where I say we have to watch what’s going on with these short-term trends and activities but we have to recognize there are bigger trends at play here. So if you have any big business decisions you’re thinking about making, assuming that we’re going to have a massive cutback on federal regulations, I would probably urge you to think about that, watch it, see where it goes. Because indeed, we really don’t know how the outcome will be.”

At the state level, while Robinson is not necessarily seeing a halt in state regulations, things are slowing down a bit. “Even in states that have a reputation for being very aggressive and progressive with their regulations, I can see a little bit of a slowdown here,” Robinson said, pointing to California, where the governor recently paused extended producer responsibility regulations, saying they were too expensive for businesses.

“I would say I may not expect to see new sweeping sustainability, climate regulations happening in the near term,” Robinson said. “I don’t think the ones that are in place will go away, but we may see a little bit of a slowdown and a quieting of those.”

Robinson also emphasized the importance of developing working relationships with local lawmakers.

“You want to make sure you make that connection with the right people,” she said. “You watch as they change and the issues change so that you’re not blindsided by a piece of legislation at the local level or the state level.”

Robinson addressed the importance of building resiliency in the face of external factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic or weather impacts. The waste industry Is in a unique position in that its services are needed during and after disaster events, she said.

She suggested companies take steps to prepare for disaster events, regulatory changes or physical environment changes. A few factors businesses can consider are choosing equipment that is adaptable to higher temperatures, securing backup access to electricity and fuel and implementing a communication plan for employees in case of a disaster.

“Good business is having continuity plans to make sure that you’re ready for any kind of event,” Robinson said. “It’s not just a storm or a fire but a pandemic, any kind of disaster event—the faster you’re up and running, the faster you can serve your customers and then the faster you can have revenue coming in the door at the same time.”

Ultimately, Robinson said, sustainability isn’t sustainable until it’s economically viable. Companies that can find the right balance of taking care of stakeholders and paying attention to what’s going on around them are more likely to develop the tools that are going to help maneuver swings in income.

“Business practices around sustainability can be a way to help mitigate some of the highs and lows of the economic cycle that are inevitable. They’re not going to stop,” Robinson said.

These practices can create resilience, she said, and can include staying the course, taking care of employees, listening to customers and being a member of the community. These are the fundamentals of business, she said, and it’s more important than ever to stay focused on them.

“A company with some of the strong fundamentals—that’s what sustainability is all about. You’re more likely to be able to weather some of those ups and downs if you have the tools to help you adapt with what’s going on around you,” Robinson said. “Have a strategy for your future success that incorporates environmental sustainability and stewardship, employees and community relations, sustainable business practices and I believe strongly, by doing all of that, you will set yourself up for success.”