Yet, if we’re honest, true collaboration remains rare.
Too often, brands, manufacturers, policymakers, and even multi-stakeholder initiatives work in parallel rather than in true partnership. Everyone agrees that collective action is needed, but when it comes to the difficult decisions — how to share costs, align incentives, and rethink old power dynamics — we default to what’s comfortable. We continue working within our own lanes and protecting our own interests without challenging the status quo.
Difficult conversations happen daily—in conferences, boardrooms, factories, management offices, and brand meetings. The key is ensuring these conversations lead to real impact. Events can help us identify what’s working, what’s not, and crucially, how we drive greater equity in decision-making. But talk alone won’t move the needle. Our collective focus must remain firmly on translating these conversations into meaningful actions.
The Cascale Forum: Ho Chi Minh City 2025 aims to be a platform for these important, but difficult conversations. The program has been designed to specifically allow our extended community to sit at the same table and ask:
- What does real partnership look like in practice?
- Who shoulders the financial and operational burden of decarbonization?
- How do we balance regulatory compliance with real, systemic change?
The Collaboration Gap: Why It’s So Hard to Work Together
Our industry doesn’t lack ambition. Many brands and retailers have set science-based targets (67 percent of brands and 46 percent of manufacturers, by Cascale’s count). Increasingly, manufacturers are making investments in sustainability. Policy shifts are pushing companies to act.
But intentions don’t always translate into action. Why?
Power imbalances still dominate the conversation, and we continue to explore the unique role Cascale can play in helping to alleviate tension, and drive progress. For example, one known tension is the buyer-supplier dynamic, where:
- Brands drive sustainability expectations down the supply chain — but rarely share the costs or risks involved.
- Manufacturers are expected to ‘comply’ rather than co-create the solutions.
- Suppliers that take the lead on sustainability often don’t get rewarded for it.
More broadly, we also know short-term pressures often trump long-term sustainability strategies:
- The industry still runs on quarterly earnings, seasonal demand, and cost efficiency—not long-term sustainability.
- Even when companies want to invest in change, competing priorities get in the way.
Regulation is coming, but it won’t solve everything
- Regulation is happening, but packages like the EU Omnibus might suggest governments are ready to abdicate their responsibilities. And, if compliance becomes a tick-box exercise rather than an opportunity for transformation, we’ll have missed the point.
- Companies that only react to regulation — instead of shaping their own future — will be left scrambling.
Where Do We Go From Here?
At Cascale, we’ve been working on some of these challenges head-on,through initiatives like the Industry Decarbonization Roadmap (IDR), which is helping manufacturers scale emissions reductions with business-backed solutions.
But the reality is: no one organization can fix this alone. This is what true collaboration looks like, and it’s not at all easy.
So what will it take?
- Shifting from transactional relationships to real partnerships. Brands and manufacturers need to share both accountability and investment in sustainability.
- Bringing regulation and industry leadership together. The future isn’t just about compliance — it’s about shaping better, smarter pathways that work for business and the planet.
- Taking responsibility beyond our own four walls. The leaders of tomorrow will be the ones who don’t wait for policy to force change but instead take proactive steps to shape more resilient supply chains, fairer business models, and scalable decarbonization efforts.
Now’s the Time!
If you’ve ever felt frustrated by the disconnect between ambition and action in our industry, consider bringing this input and insight to our upcoming forum. It’s what the event has been designed to discuss.
I hope to see you there.
May 14–15, 2025
Thiskyhall Sala Convention, Ho Chi Minh City
