I had the opportunity to attend the annual Net Impact conference in Atlanta last November – my yearly break from of the world of for-profit consulting and immersion in the world of the triple bottom line. For those unfamiliar with Net Impact, it is a global community of students, academics, and professionals that believes in the power of business to do good. In their own words, Net Impact “mobilizes new generations to use their skills and careers to drive transformational social and environmental change.”

I have attended this event almost every year since 2009, but what struck me this time is how much Net Impact’s mission has become mainstream. The list of sponsors included over thirty global multi-billion dollar companies across a range of industries, including agricultural products, apparel, automotive, consumer goods, electronics, food service, retail, oil & gas, and wine & spirits.

And why not? Individual consumers are increasingly voting with their feet, their wallets, and their voices, and their power to shift how companies think and act is stronger now than ever before. It is hard to imagine McDonald’s at this forum ten years ago, but there they were, rubbing shoulders with Will Harris of White Oak Pastures, discussing their respective efforts to de-industrialize agriculture and improve carbon dioxide sequestration. There, also, were Kendall-Jackson outlining their sustainability journey, General Mills talking about their sustainable sourcing initiatives, and a host of other household names actively engaging with a community of changemakers.

Corporations are also more eager to join the conversation now. To be sure, it allows them to control and shape the message better. But it also means a greater willingness to be transparent, answer tough questions, and receive honest feedback from an often-skeptical audience. And when Larry Fink, the CEO of BlackRock, an investment firm that manages trillions of dollars in investments, says, as he did in his 2018 letter to CEOs, that companies “must ask themselves: What role do we play in the community? How are we managing our impact on the environment? Are we working to create a diverse workforce?”, you can be sure that they will listen, and react.

Why is this shift in the conversation significant for Net Impact-ers and their ilk? Because political regimes come and go, but the laws of demand and supply don’t. Because achieving impact at scale is much easier when you have the biggest companies in an industry on your side. Because the ripple effects that they create cascade throughout their vast global supply chains, all the way to the palm oil plantation in Indonesia, or the fishing trawler in the north Atlantic, or the iron ore mining concession in Brazil.

Is it perfect? No. Balancing financial, social, and environmental goals in a manner and over a timescale that is acceptable to a diverse set of stakeholders is never easy. Neither is it reasonable to expect that mistakes won’t be made along the way. There are companies that make tall claims that end up being too good to be true on closer examination. There are others that could do much more but choose not to. But it’s a start. And one that is gaining momentum every year driven by us, the consumers, and accelerated by the explosion of data and social media. And that is a powerful lesson.