PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between sustainability adoption and internal legitimacy construction.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is designed as a critical inquiry into existing research and practice on sustainability adoption, illustrated by two corporate vignettes.FindingsPrior studies tend to assume that awareness raising is a sufficient means to create employee commitment and support for corporate sustainability programs, while empirical observations indicate that managerial disregard of conflicting interpretations of sustainability may result in the illegitimacy of such programs.Originality/valueThe authors suggest that a loosely coupled approach to sustainability adoption is a productive way to understand internal legitimacy construction, as it appreciates complexity and polyphony.