2025 CEO Sustainable Development Report
The United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) releases 2025 CEO Sustainable Development Report, which aims to summarize the views and actions of the CEOs towards sustainable development.
Since 2007, the United Nations Global Compact has released annual CEO Sustainable Development Report, which covers topics such as reputation risks, strategies, and governance frameworks related to sustainable development.
Related Post: UN Global Compact Released CEO’s Sustainable Development Survey
CEO Sustainable Development History
The United Nations Global Compact believes that the CEO’s focus on sustainable development has undergone the following changes since 2007:
- Moral Movement to Business Basic: 2007-2012. CEOs generally understand sustainable development as a moral responsibility of corporate reputation but have not yet regarded it as an element of business strategy. In 2010, over 90% of CEOs considered sustainability to be an important issue but believed that participating in sustainability was mainly for corporate image rather than commercial benefits.
- Emerging Strategic Priority: 2013-2018. The sustainable strategy of enterprises is constantly evolving in new frameworks and governance, and sustainability is being seen as the core of innovation and competitive advantage. However, the sustainability execution of enterprises is slow, with less than 20% of CEOs strongly agreeing to take on sustainability responsibilities.
- Business Takes a Holistic Approach: 2019-2022. With the increasing attention of investors and other market participants towards sustainability, companies have adopted sustainability as a performance indicator. The CEO has started to pay attention to sustainable issues such as climate change and biodiversity and recognizes their opportunities in business growth.
- Competition priorities and the Fight for Sustainability: 2023 to present. The increase in global data volume and the release of sustainable regulatory policies in different jurisdictions have made sustainable action more complex. CEOs need to consider the interoperability of sustainable policies, especially compliance issues related to business development. The role of consumers and government as stakeholders in promoting sustainable development of enterprises is gradually increasing.
CEO Sustainable Development Current Attitude
Currently CEO faces a choice in sustainable development: one is a business model that focuses on short-term returns, and the other is to reshape the enterprise in a sustainable way to achieve long-term growth. 88% of CEOs have incorporated sustainability into their core operations, 26% have fully incorporated sustainability into their scenario planning, 88% believe that sustainable business cases have made more progress compared to five years ago, and 99% plan to maintain or expand their commitments to climate, environment, and society.
The sustainable development of enterprises is receiving attention from stakeholders such as investors, regulatory agencies, and consumers. 97% of CEOs believe that sustainable value chain collaboration will continue to develop, 60% of CEOs consider customer needs as an important driving factor for sustainable development, 54% believe that consumers will support corporate sustainable development, and 96% believe that the impact of communities on sustainable development will continue to increase.
CEO Sustainable Development Future Directions
The United Nations Global Compact believes that future CEO sustainable development action directions include:
- Collaboration on regulation: CEOs need to actively participate in policymaking to shape sustainable regulatory environment.
- Harness consumer demand: CEOs need to incorporate sustainability into product design, pricing, and partnerships to meet consumer needs.
- Expand access to technology: CEOs need to utilize digital tools to ensure that sustainable innovation is inclusive, scalable, and fair.
- Upskill for the future: CEOs need to invest in sustainable human resources and drive innovative strategies.
- Lead with credibility and purpose: CEOs need to drive sustainable development with credibility and sincerity, creating long-term impact.
Reference:
UN Global Compact – Accenture 2025 CEO Study
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