|
The Executive Summary of the 2025 CEO Study states that “sustainability has entered an era of pragmatism,” but adds that “pragmatism comes with a paradox.” In response to growing political and public scrutiny, only half of CEOs feel very comfortable communicating their progress publicly, with many companies having pulled back from public sustainability statements.
The UNGC was founded 25 years ago to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business, including delivering on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 2025 CEO Study issues a dire warning about current progress toward achieving the SDGs, saying “only 35% of the SDG targets are on track, and 2024 marked the first calendar year to exceed the Paris Agreement threshold of 1.5°C.”
According to the 2025 CEO Study, “CEOs’ actions in the next few years will determine whether the private sector moves toward sustainable growth or defaults to scattered progress.”
The study outlines five key priorities for CEOs to unite around to ignite momentum and align public and private sectors for systemic impact—collaborating on regulation, harnessing consumer demand, expanding access to technology, upskilling for the future and leading with credibility and purpose.
The full UN Global Compact—Accenture 2025 CEO Study is available for download at the link in our Top Stories below. According to the study, CEOs have available “the necessary tools, such as renewable energy and generative AI,” to move ahead to take decisive action. “What remains to be found is the courage to act with credibility and speed.”
The United Nations is not the only global organization working to urgently drive corporate action to combat climate change. The World Resources Institute (WRI) recently partnered with the Swedish Embassy in Washington, DC, to host the Green Transition Summit 2025 aimed at educating local business, government, and policy leaders from around DC on the latest approaches to energy efficiency for buildings, smart mobility, and clean construction.
In a new G&A Institute blog post from Senior Sustainability Analyst Christina Carlton, who attended the event, the message from the summit was clear: “the clean energy transition is no longer dependent on what’s technically possible; it’s about how we actually get it done.”
The G&A team is available to provide counsel to CEOs and the entire C-suite to help your company take action to move your sustainability programs forward. Reach out to us at info@ga-institute.com.
|
