State of Sustainability

This report is the first annual survey to gauge the current state of corporate responsibility and sustainability around the world. Over the coming years we'll document the evolution of sustainability; this, and future reports, will be used to benchmark the progress. In this report we asked our community, of which nearly 1,500 responded, about:\r
• The significance of sustainability. What does it mean for different organisations? How seriously is it taken\r
at the highest levels of management? Who, ultimately, takes responsibility?\r
• The organisation of sustainability operations. Does silo thinking about sustainability still prevail,\r
or is sustainability becoming embedded throughout the organisation? Is sustainability still largely a back-office function - providing information, training and monitoring - or a frontline role, with direct implications for the functioning of other departments? What place does sustainability have in agenda setting?\r
• Sustainability budgets and returns. What resources do organisations dedicate to sustainability? What are the identifiable returns and how are they measured?\r
• Future prospects. How will sustainability evolve in the year ahead, and what will the situation be in five years' time?\r
Our respondents told us that the great majority of organisations are now convinced of the value of sustainability. The sustainability discipline has largely escaped from its silo and is now a vital aspect of strategic planning. This is especially true for supply chain management - arguably the area of greatest reputational and operational risk for modern multinationals operating in a globalised environment.