A long game

At a time when economic conditions and forecasts seem to change by the week, by the day and even by the hour, it starts to feel hard to keep up.

So, I appreciated the reminder from Susan K. Robinson, keynote speaker at the 2025 C&D World Conference & Exhibition, that business, as is life, is a long game.

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

Robinson spoke broadly on sustainability, and I was drawn to her perspective on sustainable business practices as a form of resiliency, an idea she has honed over years of working in the recycling industry.

While turbulent economic cycles are certainly something she is sensitive to, Robinson said embracing sustainability can help mitigate some of their inevitable highs and lows.

“[D]epending on what news article you read, you could be in one part of the cycle or another,” Robinson said. “It’s kind of sometimes hard to tell.”

She added, “A company with some of [these] strong fundamentals—and 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 to what’s going on.”

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

“Have a strategy for your future success that incorporates environmental sustainability and stewardship, employees and community relations [and] sustainable business practices,” Robinson said, “and I believe strongly, by doing all of that, you will set yourself up for success.”