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The Missing Metric: Why trust and social acceptance are core to sustainable change

12/12/25

Author: Kendra Hall

The Missing Metric: Why trust and social acceptance are core to sustainable change

When it comes to sustainable agriculture, it’s easy to focus on the numbers and data: "We aim to reduce emissions, measure organic matter in soils and maximise efficiency."

But there’s a critical piece often left out of the equation: whether people actually buy in to what’s being asked of them and trust that you mean what you say.

Change doesn’t just need to be measurable. It needs to be meaningful to the people who live and work in it every day, as well as the general public. That’s where trust and social acceptance (also called social licence) can make or break a strategy.

What do we mean by social acceptance?

In simple terms, social acceptance is the support and understanding from the people who are most affected by change, policy and activity. It’s built on trust, and it’s shaped by more than facts.

Social acceptance is shaped by how change is introduced, who’s involved, whether it feels fair and if it aligns with your audience’s values.

This is not a new idea, but in the rush to roll out climate strategies and sustainability targets, it’s rarely front and centre. And that brings risk.

Why this matters now

In the agricultural sector, we’ve seen schemes and plans struggle to gain traction - not because the science was wrong, but because the communication didn’t land.

We’ve heard so many perspectives:

Farmers who feel they’re being asked to do more with less clarity.
Businesses unsure how to explain complex transitions to a time-poor, sceptical audience.
Advisors trying to bridge the gap between ambition and reality.
Consumers overwhelmed with information and losing trust in businesses and institutions.

It’s not that people don’t care, they absolutely do. But trust has to be earned, and all too often, this part of the process is overlooked.

Building trust into change

This is where communication becomes more than a delivery mechanism. It becomes a strategic tool – not just to inform, but to involve. Not just to share outcomes, but to shape them with the people who matter most. And this is one of the best ways to support sustainable agriculture and drive change.

At Twig, we talk a lot about shared values and their importance in building trust. Through our Engage™ training, we work with individuals and organisations across the supply chain to build confidence in how they communicate – not just what they say.

What we’ve seen is simple but powerful: when people feel heard, they’re more open to hearing others. And when values are aligned, conversations change.

What this looks like in practice

Building social acceptance doesn’t mean watering things down. It means:

Taking time to listen before launching
Involving the right people from all stakeholder groups, early
Communicating clearly, consistently and with care
Equipping teams and spokespeople to speak with confidence, empathy and authenticity

It’s not always quick, and it’s rarely perfect. But it’s essential if we want change to stick.

There’s no shortage of frameworks or plans for a more sustainable food system. But if we want sustainable agriculture to become reality, we need to look beyond the metrics and towards the relationships that will carry them forward.

Social acceptance isn’t just a nice-to-have – it should be part of the foundation. And trust is the path we build to get there.

Want to unlock the missing metric?

Talk to us about embedding trust and social acceptance into your sustainablity strategy.

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The Missing Metric: Why trust and social acceptance are core to sustainable change