2023: The year in insights
As we wrap up for the year, here is a look back at some of our favorite Insights of the Week from 2023.
Each week, we release research and insights on timely and strategic issues for leaders in business, civil society, and government seeking to co-create a more sustainable and equitable future. We have selected eight Insights of the Week which best illustrate some of the key themes and trends that have emerged in 2023.
The GlobeScan Insight of the Week team will return next year after the holidays. Thank you for being a part of our fast-growing community in 2023, and we look forward to sharing more in 2024.
1. Conscious quitting
Paul Polman warned at the start of 2023 that employees want strong values and positive impact at the workplace, otherwise they will quit their jobs. Our research shows that nine in ten corporate employees say their motivation and loyalty grows as their employer becomes more socially or environmentally responsible.
Full insight here.
2. Rising fear of greenwashing
With increased pressure from regulators and stakeholders throughout 2023, two-thirds of Corporate Affairs professionals are now worried about being accused of “greenwashing” or making exaggerated environmental claims, up from just over half in 2022.
3. A compliance-driven agenda
When asked about the most important sustainability developments in the past year, sustainability experts name a range of legislative initiatives along with several disclosure frameworks as key recent sustainability breakthroughs, pushing compliance to the forefront of the sustainability agenda.
4. But compliance is not what drives perceptions of corporate sustainability leadership
Sustainability professionals increasingly say that the reasons they recognize companies as sustainability leaders are integration of sustainability into business models and strategy, demonstrated impact of sustainability initiatives, ambitious targets, and innovation, suggesting that companies striving for sustainability leadership should take note of the growing importance of these key drivers of recognized leadership in an era where attention is often focused on compliance.
5. Approaching a climate tipping point
As global negotiators headed to the COP28 in Dubai, our general-public research shows that we are rapidly approaching a climate tipping point where soon half the global population will likely feel they are greatly personally affected by climate change. We are entering a new era where public reactions to intensifying climatic conditions are unknown and likely non-linear.
6. The green consumer feels maxed out – time for a reset
Over the past five years, there has been an increase in the number of people who say that individuals cannot do much to save the environment, growing from one-quarter in 2019 to one-third in 2023. There is an increasing sense of consumer disempowerment and a growing reliance on systemic actors like government and industry to take on the burden of addressing climate change and other environmental issues.
7. High expectations for government action – a key role for corporate advocacy
A majority of people across 31 countries and territories believe that governments, followed by companies and international bodies like the UN, are the most responsible for addressing climate change. This points to the key role that companies have to play by helping unlock ambitious public policies through advocacy.
8. Strengthening the Just Transition imperative
Across the 31 countries and territories GlobeScan surveyed this summer, a majority of people associate climate change with far-ranging socio-economic impacts such as aggravated poverty, limited access to water and food, and economic issues. As conversations around the imperative for a Just Transition ramp up worldwide, the data show that any transition to climate-neutral economies must address existing socio-economic disparities and avoid creating new ones.
