Most professionals working in sustainability believe businesses are only implementing sustainability initiatives because of the need to comply with legislative changes and reporting requirements.
A survey conducted across 520 professionals across 63 countries found respondents admitting that they would like sustainability initiatives in business to go beyond compliance with legislation. They said that environmental initiatives among business leaders should instead be integrated into business strategies.
“Sustainability integrated into company’s products and culture,” was crucial to success for leaders in sustainability, according to one respondent from China. Another professional from India stressed the importance of “accurate reporting, measurable goals, and ambitious targets.”
Stronger legislation pushing for more sustainable industries was seen by respondents as the biggest breakthrough in the past year, with 25% of those surveyed listing it as more significant than other developments.
Respondents said international agreements like the EU Green Deal, which works to standardise and normalise sustainability reporting, was “the most positive development related to the sustainability agenda in the past 12 months”.
“In the US, it’s the Inflation Reduction Act with the amount of federal finding that will be made available to fund infrastructure and clean energy transition. These incentives will be transformative,” said one respondent from the United States.
93% of respondents said that climate change was their biggest environmental concern, followed by biodiversity loss and water scarcity (86%).
Sustainability integrated in growth
Forward-thinking businesses see sustainability as part of their growth.
As companies face stricter legislation, business that incorporate sustainability in their strategies for growth will find it easier to stick to ever-changing compliance requirements.
How can businesses create net zero strategies that work alongside their plans to grow?
At ClearVUE.Business, we are committed to net zero operations that can flourish.
Our sustainability experts work with companies to create tailored strategies that do not deter business’ operations, while our industry-leading technology provides indisputable evidence of your efforts in a corporate format.
