With a decade to deliver the Sustainable
Development Goals, CEOs call for bold action to course-correct
private sector contribution
CEOs say business contribution to the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) is not on track, according to the world’s largest
study on corporate sustainability from the United Nations Global
Compact and Accenture (NYSE: ACN).
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Launched today at the United Nations in New York, the UN Global
Compact-Accenture Strategy 2019 CEO study – ‘The Decade to Deliver:
A Call to Business Action’ – finds that just 21% of Chief
Executives believe business is playing a critical role in
contributing to the Global Goals, and less than half (48%) are
integrating sustainability into their business operations. Despite
pockets of progress and innovation since the Global Goals were
agreed in 2015, socioeconomic, geopolitical and technological
uncertainties over the past four years have distracted CEOs’
sustainability efforts.
The study draws on insights from more than 1,000 CEOs from many
of the world’s leading organizations. Together with the UN Global
Compact Progress Report, which surveyed nearly 1,600 companies from
over 100 countries, it forms the most comprehensive research to
date on business contribution to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development.
“With less than 4,000 days remaining until the 2030 target,
business leaders are not content with current progress and are
calling for their sectors and peers to step-up and turn commitment
into action,” said Lise Kingo, CEO and Executive Director of the
United Nations Global Compact. “The scale of the challenge is
unprecedented and requires all stakeholders, including governments,
policymakers, business leaders, investors, shareholders, civil
society and academia, to work together to accelerate change. We’re
confident change is coming and are particularly pleased with the
progress from the 87 companies that have announced this week that
they are leading the way towards a 1.5°C future.”
A decade to deliver the Global Goals
In the four years since the 17 SDGs were agreed, there have been
bright spots of progress. For example, the global population are
living better lives and infant mortality under the age of five has
declined. However, advancement across most of the Global Goals has
been sluggish or even reversed. Today, 700 million people still
live in extreme poverty, over 170 million remain jobless and more
than 70 million seek refuge. Famine, extreme climate events,
overpopulation, water scarcity, gender-based violence and a rise in
armed conflict and extremism continue to define lives around the
world.
Global business must play its part in driving positive change.
CEOs say an unprecedented shift in public expectations is
encouraging businesses to get ahead on sustainability to build
trust and competitiveness in their markets.
“With sustainability being integral to the competitive agility
of every organization — and increasingly important to growth,
profitability and trust — it’s time for leaders to ensure the
Global Goals are firmly embedded in corporate strategy and company
purpose,” said Peter Lacy, senior managing director, Accenture
Strategy. “Technology may hold the true key to unlocking progress
on the Global Goals. The speed of digital, biological and physical
innovations will continue to be enormous in the decade ahead, and
business must harness and align investments with global
environmental, social and governance outcomes.”
Challenging environment for business
There are significant positives for business. Today, 99% of CEOs
surveyed say sustainability is critical to the future success of
their organization, and 81% of companies are taking action to
progress the Global Goals. Over 200 companies surveyed have
approved science-based targets for climate action and a similar
number have made commitments to reduce their greenhouse gas
emissions to net-zero by 2050. Furthermore, 63% see technology as a
critical accelerator of the socio-economic impact of their
companies.
However, these commitments are failing to deliver the tipping
points required to achieve the Global Goals. CEOs say that business
execution is not measuring up to the size of the challenge or
previous levels of corporate ambition. Over a quarter (28%) cite
“absence of market pull” as a top barrier to sustainable business,
and over half (55%) say they face a key trade-off in the pressure
to operate under extreme cost-consciousness while seeking to invest
in longer-term strategic objectives. Just 44% of CEOs believe a
net-zero future is on the horizon for their company in the next 10
years.
Kick-starting a decade of delivery
Nearly three-quarters (71%) of CEOs believe that with increased
commitment and action, businesses can play a crucial role in
contributing to the Global Goals.
To accelerate progress, CEOs identify three critical
requirements. First, an urgent need to raise corporate ambition
within their own organizations to prioritize action against the 17
SDGs. Second, the need for business, governments, regulators and
non-governmental organizations to come together to shape realistic,
technology-enabled, science-based solutions to the global
challenges. And third, redefining responsible leadership to help
business to be a leading driver of the Global Goals.
The future of responsible leadership
For companies to progress towards a more sustainable future,
CEOs highlight the leadership qualities that are critical for
success:
- Pioneering profit through purpose: Growing expectations
from consumers, employees and the public are placing new demands on
leaders to serve a higher purpose in helping ensure a sustainable
future. Leading CEOs look beyond near-term profits in order to
meaningfully drive forward the sustainability agenda and foster a
culture of responsibility and transparency to demonstrate impact.
They align sustainability with their core business strategy,
operations and investments in innovation and technology.
- Galvanizing ecosystems: CEOs must engage their broader
business and technology ecosystems to find collective solutions to
the SDGs. Given the nature and complexity of these issues,
science-based leadership will play a crucial role in driving action
and impact, as will applying technologies to instigate change.
- Personally committing to sustainability: Responsible
leaders take sustainability personally and actively advance the
circular economy, hold people to account for sustainability goals,
force the discussion with investors, and lead positive change with
authenticity and integrity.
For more information on the report, visit
www.accenture.com/ungcceostudy. Join the conversation at
@AccentureStrat #GlobalGoals #2030agenda
About the study
The United Nations Global Compact-Accenture Strategy 2019 CEO
Study represents more than a decade of research on sustainable
business. Together with the UN Global Compact Progress Report, it
forms the world’s most comprehensive research to date on business
contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals. The 2019 study
draws on insights from more than 1,000 CEOs from 21 industries and
99 countries, including over 100 in-depth interviews, and nearly
1,600 senior business leaders who responded to the UN Global
Compact implementation survey.
About the United Nations Global Compact
As a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General, the United
Nations Global Compact works with companies everywhere to align
their operations and strategies with ten universal principles in
the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.
Launched in 2000, the UN Global Compact guides and supports the
global business community in advancing UN goals and values through
responsible corporate practices. With more than 9,500 companies and
3,000 non-business signatories based in over 160 countries, and
more than 60 Local Networks, it is the largest corporate
sustainability initiative in the world.
For more information, follow @globalcompact on social media and
visit our website at www.unglobalcompact.org.
About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company,
providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy,
consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched
experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries
and all business functions — underpinned by the world’s largest
delivery network — Accenture works at the intersection of business
and technology to help clients improve their performance and create
sustainable value for their stakeholders. With 482,000 people
serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives
innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us
at www.accenture.com.
Accenture Strategy combines deep industry expertise, advanced
analytics capabilities and human-led design methodologies that
enable clients to act with speed and confidence. By identifying
clear, actionable paths to accelerate competitive agility,
Accenture Strategy helps leaders in the C-suite envision and
execute strategies that drive growth in the face of digital
transformation. For more information, follow @AccentureStrat or
visit www.accenture.com/strategy.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190924005185/en/
Accenture Lucy Davies +44 777 3044 808
lucy.d.davies@accenture.com
United Nations Global Compact Leila Puutio + 1 646 465 3833
media@unglobalcompact.org
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