Drawing on several decades of experience in sustainability work, Matthew Polsky asks whether success and failure in sustainability transitions are really as separate as they are often assumed to be.

In a two-part essay, he examines how false binaries, entrenched mindsets, organisational habits, and simplified ideas of progress can prevent people and organisations from learning from setbacks.

His reflections invite practitioners to consider what might be missed when sustainability initiatives are assessed only as successes or failures—and how greater attention to uncertainty, reflection, and learning could strengthen efforts to create meaningful change.