Sustainability at a Crossroads – a new global survey of 844 sustainability experts across 72 countries and in collaboration with GlobeScan and ERM, reveals a pivotal turning point in the evolution of the global sustainability agenda.
While the sustainability field has matured, expanded, and mainstreamed over the nearly four decades since the 1987 publication of the Brundtland Report Our Common Future established the foundation on which much of today’s sustainable development agenda and approaches stand, experts say that that current practices simply are not working. Over nine in ten respondents say the agenda requires revision, while more than half of experts call for a radical overhaul. We are truly at a crossroads in terms of the way forward.
GlobeScan, ERM, and Volans do not interpret the survey’s findings to mean the field is in an existential crisis. We see a glass-half-full moment of opportunity. At this time, leaders in the private, public, and civil society sectors can pivot and make the bold strategic adjustments needed to deliver the just, low-carbon, and nature-positive transition needed. This will mean creating new markets that strengthen societies and economies at the same time as increasing business resilience. This requires developing opportunities that build commercial value while simultaneously addressing sustainability imperatives.
The executive summary is available here – if you would like more detail please contact us.
