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.

Executive digest

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Leading sustainability

Moving from pledges to real action, focused on practicalities to accelerate global climate action.

Meet our experts

I have led the Capgemini Group sustainability agenda since setting first carbon reduction targets in 2008. I am a long-term advocate of ambitious targets as a mechanism to drive innovation to ensure continual improvements. I manage our sustainability risks and drive our program to reduce environmental impacts in our most material areas. However the biggest difference we can make on this agenda, is the work we do with our clients. In 2018, we announced a new target to help our clients save 10 million carbon tonnes through leveraging technology. I regularly speak on this topic and engage directly with our clients.

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With more than 20 years professional experience in consulting along with strategic account management, Benjamin has always had the passion for using technology to improve core processes and support strategic imperatives such as sustainability goals.

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