A world in balance: Why sustainability ambition is not translating into action

In 2009, a group of internationally renowned scientists identified the nine processes that regulate the stability and resilience of the Earth.

As of 2022, humanity crossed out of the safe space for six of the nine boundaries for these processes, increasing the risk of abrupt or irreversible environmental changes. In this context, in our newest Capgemini Research Institute report, A World in Balance: Why sustainability ambition is not translating to action, we explore companies’ progress toward sustainability and look at how it can be accelerated.
 
To assess the current state of sustainability at companies, we conducted a global research study surveying over 2,000 respondents from 668 organizations. We found that, while organizations across industries have acknowledged the urgency of climate change, limited action is visible on the ground. Among other roadblocks, many executives are still unclear as to the business case for sustainability or view it as a non-viable option.
 
In contrast to these concerns, our analysis reveals that sustainability and financial metrics can go hand in hand. Those organizations that have outpaced their peers in implementing sustainable practices have witnessed higher revenue per employee relative to the average from 2020 to 2021, employing practices that result in operational efficiencies and sustainable benefits.
 
Ultimately, all organizations will have to do their part in the journey toward sustainability. To this end, they will have to build up a series of achievable short-term goals and implement their ambitions in a combined, collaborative view. In this report, we follow our analysis of sustainability transformation with recommendations for eight C-suite positions that will enable leaders to accelerate their companies’ transformations.
 
To learn more about how organizations can translate sustainability ambition into action, download the report.