The UN Global Compact has 766 corporate members globally who are committed to sustainability and responsible business practices. The June 2010 CEO Study released by Accenture outlines had some interesting highlights to share in terms of CEO opinions. Some of the top ones were:
- 93% of CEOs believe that sustainability issues will be critical to the future success of their business.
- 96% of CEOs believe that sustainability issues should be fully integrated into the strategy and operations of a company (up from 72% in 2007).
- 91% of CEOs report that their company will employ new technologies (e.g., renewable energy, energy efficiency, information and communicationtechnologies) to address sustainability issues over the next five years.
- 88% of CEOs believe that they should be integrating sustainability through their supply chain. Only 54% believe that this has been achieved within their company. An almost identical performance gap is seen for subsidiaries.
- 72% of CEOs cite “brand, trust and reputation” as one of the top three factors driving them to take action on sustainability issues. Revenue growth and cost reduction is second with 44%.
Clearly sustainability is now firmly entrenched on the radar screens of corporate executives. The report includes great findings and of course, the UN Global Compact provides many avenues for participation. Check them out if you can and see how your company can be involved.
