Featured, Resources, Sustainable Development Goals
UNGC / Accenture CEO Study 2016
UN Global Compact Network Australia | June 22, 2016
CEOs See UN Sustainable Development Goals as Opportunity to Address Global Challenges, Redefine Competitiveness and Transform Business
Eighty-seven percent of CEOs say the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent an essential opportunity to rethink approaches to sustainability, and nearly half (49 percent) say businesses will be the most important actor in their delivery, according to a new study by the UN Global Compact and Accenture.
Launched at this week’s 2016 UN Global Compact Leaders Summit in New York, the UN Global Compact-Accenture Strategy CEO Study 2016, Agenda 2030: A Window of Opportunity finds business leaders accepting a mandate to take the lead in solving societal challenges. The survey of more than 1,000 CEOs around the world – the largest-ever CEO study on sustainability – shows that they now see a unique opportunity to reshape their industries and accelerate progress towards the SDGs.
More than 70 percent of the UN Global Compact CEOs surveyed believe that the SDGs provide business with a framework to restructure sustainability efforts, and 78 percent already see opportunities to contribute to the global goals through their core business. Nearly all (95 percent) feel a personal responsibility to ensure their company has a core purpose and role in society, and 80 percent believe that demonstrating a commitment to societal purpose is a differentiator in their industry.
To accelerate progress, CEOs identify three critical requirements:
- First, an urgent need to expand coalitions and partnerships across business, government and civil society to drive greater ambition and achievement on key sustainability issues, including human rights, labour standards, the environment, and anti-corruption.
- Second, more action at the local level, working with national governments to develop and implement action plans to achieve the SDGs.
- And third, innovation in new digital technologies and new business models that can enable business to have a greater impact on global challenges.
Making global goals, local business
This year’s results mark a sea change from the results of the 2013 CEO Study, when respondents expressed a sense of frustrated ambition in their efforts to become more sustainable. Although CEOs emphasise the need to overcome significant challenges, the study finds business leaders making progress in embedding sustainability across their business.
More than two-thirds of the UN Global Compact CEOs surveyed (69 percent) report that sustainability issues are already part of board-level discussions, and 64 percent say these issues play a central role in their strategic planning and business development. A majority of CEOs (59 percent) also report that their company can accurately quantify the business value of their sustainability initiatives, up from 38 percent in 2013. Looking beyond their own companies, the CEOs say progress is being replicated across their industries, and 89 percent say commitment to sustainability is translating into a real impact on their industry.
Reshaping global markets
Despite strong progress in embedding sustainability into corporate strategy and operations, executives still see significant challenges in bringing about the changes that can reshape global markets for sustainability. In particular, business leaders find it difficult to align market incentives to accelerate action. While 88 percent of CEOs believe that greater integration of sustainability issues will be essential to make progress on sustainability, just 10 percent say investor pressure is a top factor driving action in their company.
Among CEOs of the world’s largest companies, those with annual revenues in excess of US$1 billion, commitment and action is even more pronounced with 76 percent of them already engaging investors on the value of sustainability to their business. Similarly, 80 percent believe they have the skills and capabilities to take action on the SDGs.
As CEOs prioritise critical actions to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs, 86 percent of them say standardised metrics are needed so companies can measure and track their impact on global goals; and 85 percent identify the importance of partnerships with governments, NGOs and international organisations that connect businesses with local communities. Similarly, 84 percent call for more local collaboration with national governments on SDG Action Plans that include clear incentives and accountability frameworks for business.
