Can transnational corporations leverage systemic change towards a ‘sustainable’ future?

To the Editor — We welcome the idea that transnational corporations (TNCs) can play a central role in the protection of the biosphere, recently contributed by Folke et al.1. It is certainly crucial to understand how TNCs affect the biosphere. While the authors provide a comprehensive overview of the impact of TNCs on the biosphere and propose some pathways through which TNCs might contribute to the stabilization of the Earth system, we argue for increased attention to several crucial intrinsic features of TNCs that are problematic for the central question posed by the paper: “Can TNCs leverage large-scale systemic change, accelerate positive transformations towards sustainability, and contribute to a safe operating environmental space for humanity?”