Rules are fueling the sustainability agenda, consultants say

In response to the newly launched Sustainability Leaders 2024 Survey, one-third of sustainability consultants level to legislative motion as essentially the most important constructive improvement associated to the sustainability agenda within the final yr. New sustainability disclosure requirements, together with a variety of actions on local weather, nature, renewables and low-carbon initiatives, are additionally seen as necessary current developments. As well as, extra inexperienced financing and public consciousness are additionally seen by consultants as key breakthroughs within the final yr. 

New laws and disclosure requirements are acknowledged as necessary developments by consultants throughout all sectors, however much more so amongst sustainability professionals within the for-profit sectors. Consultants based mostly in Africa and the Center East usually tend to level to elevated public consciousness of sustainability as essentially the most important constructive improvement.

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 corporations and tracks precedence points in addition to crucial current developments.  

What does this imply?

For the second yr in a row, legislative motion is seen because the No. 1 driver of the sustainability agenda, adopted by disclosure requirements. Nonetheless, management doesn’t finish with compliance alone — sustainability consultants count on firms to combine sustainability into the guts of their methods and display actual impacts and motion to be seen as a frontrunner. Learn extra on what’s anticipated from sustainability leaders in our Sustainability Leaders 2024 report. 

Survey Query: Over the previous 12 months, what has been essentially the most important constructive motion or improvement associated to the sustainability agenda? This motion or improvement could have come from the general public sector, civil society, enterprise, finance and funding, or every other a part of society.

Supply: 2024 GlobeScan / ERM Sustainability Institute Leaders Survey of 484 consultants representing enterprise, authorities, NGOs, and academia throughout 65 international locations from April to Could.