Meeting Sustainable Business Goals

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More than two thirds of CEOs (67 percent) believe that business is not doing enough to address global sustainability challenges, while the same percentage report that the private sector is not making sufficient efforts to address global sustainability challenges, according to a survey by the United Nations Global Compact and Accenture.

More than two thirds of CEOs (67 percent) believe that business is not doing enough to address global sustainability challenges, while the same percentage report that the private sector is not making sufficient efforts to address global sustainability challenges, according to a survey by the United Nations Global Compact and Accenture.

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The survey of 1,000 CEOs found that most believe the failure to make a link between sustainability and business value is the fastest growing barrier of the past ten years, and are calling for increased incentives and rewards for sustainability leaders seeking to embed sustainability throughout their organizations.

For more than half of respondents, a lack of financial resources is cited as the leading barrier to advancing sustainability; 40 percent say that economic conditions have made it tough to embed sustainability into core business. In 2007, 18 percent said this deterred them from taking further action, rising to 30 percent in 2010 and 37 percent this year.

According to the survey, only 15 percent of CEOs think business has made good progress over the last three years in making sustainability a must-have factor for consumers, however 82 percent believe this is critical to harnessing sustainability as a transformative force in the economy. Almost half (46 percent) say consumers will always consider sustainability as secondary to price, quality and availability.

Read more at ENN affiliate Triple Pundit.

Image created by Robin Blackstone; base images via Shutterstock: Sustainability Triangle, Stressed Business Man and Cartoon Factory.