Study: Sustainability a Priority for CEOs

By Georg Kell and Peter Lacy

Consumers are a big factor why CEOs are putting more emphasis on sustainability, according to a new study from Accenture and the UN

This week, the UN Global Compact and Accenture Sustainability Services are releasing the largest-ever chief executive study on corporate sustainability. Through an online survey and in-depth one-to-one interviews, nearly 1,000 CEOs, senior business executives, and civil society leaders have contributed to this landmark study on the state and future of responsible business in the 21st century.

CEOs also told us that their approaches to sustainability are changing:

• CEOs identified the consumer as being as important a stakeholder as their business and government customers on this issue, driving companies to take action in response to new attitudes and needs.

• Ninety-one percent of CEOs report that they will use new technologies to address sustainability over the next five years. Social media in particular were highlighted as both an opportunity for increased consumer engagement but also a challenge in terms of greater transparency.

• CEOs identified partnerships and collaboration (e.g. with NGOs) as an increasingly important element in furthering goals of social development.

• Furthermore, post-financial crisis, CEOs around the globe recognize a critical role for sustainability in rebuilding trust with stakeholders. Seventy-two percent of CEOs highlighted "brand, trust, and reputation" as key motivations for taking action on sustainability.

An Implementation Gap

CEOs believe they are still facing many challenges, despite significant recent progress.

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