Based on the newly launched Sustainability Leaders 2024 Survey, over 8 in 10 sustainability consultants in North America (83 %) declare there’s a backlash towards the sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda of their nation immediately. In Europe, practically 6 in 10 consultants (59 %) are additionally seeing a backlash, whereas sustainability professionals in different areas are seeing far much less resistance to sustainability.
Consultants worldwide are additionally cut up on how a lot this backlash will decelerate the transition to sustainability within the subsequent few years, if in any respect. These based mostly in North America, Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean are more likely to say that the backlash will decelerate the transition than these based mostly in Asia-Pacific and in Africa and the Center East.
The GlobeScan / ERM Sustainability Institute Leaders Survey captures the views of just about 500 sustainability consultants in 65 international locations worldwide on the priorities and forces shaping the sustainable improvement agenda. The survey explores sustainability management throughout governments, nongovernmental organizations, and firms and tracks precedence points and crucial current developments.
What does this imply?
With sustainability and ESG changing into political flashpoints in North America, international organizations should navigate an more and more complicated atmosphere with their stakeholders within the area. On this context, organizations ought to prioritize the basics by specializing in the enterprise case of sustainability (as a driver of enterprise worth, innovation and resilience), debunking myths with proof once they come up, and persevering with to interact with policymakers and standard-setters to drive the sustainability agenda ahead. Lastly, whereas stress on the ESG/sustainability agenda in North America is robust, you will need to do not forget that this isn’t the case in all different areas.
Learn extra about what’s affecting the sustainability agenda in our Sustainability Leaders 2024 report.
Survey Query: How important do you suppose the present backlash towards the sustainability agenda (together with ESG) is in your nation? “Very important,” “Considerably important,” “Not very important,” “There is no such thing as a backlash”
Supply: 2024 GlobeScan / ERM Sustainability Institute Leaders Survey of 484 consultants representing enterprise, authorities, NGOs and academia throughout 65 international locations from April to Might
