Business Value of Sustainability
This report from BSR and GlobeScan, with input from several companies, explores the changing dimensions of the business value of sustainability, offering strategies to achieve and communicate the value of sustainability for resilience, innovation and long-term profitability.
Sustainability continues to deliver strong business value, but the way companies realize and communicate that value is changing. This report from BSR and GlobeScan explores how shifting geopolitical, regulatory, and market contexts are reshaping expectations – and what leaders must do to respond. Drawing on insights and experience from leading companies, it outlines practical strategies needed to integrate sustainability into core business decisions, build stronger cross-functional relationships, and demonstrate value beyond short-term ROI.
Key Findings:
- The fundamentals remain strong: Sustainability continues to drive efficiency, resilience, innovation, talent attraction, and stakeholder trust – benefits that have been proven for decades.
- The context has shifted: Political pressure, regulatory uncertainty, and market volatility are prompting tougher questions about sustainability’s value and demanding clearer, context-aware communication.
- Integration is essential: Deeper alignment with core business functions – and using their language, priorities, and metrics – is key to unlocking and demonstrating sustainability’s full value.
- Value takes many forms: Not all benefits can or should be quantified; long-term resilience, trust, strategic flexibility, and avoided risks are critical dimensions of business value.
- A call for confidence: In a moment of increased scrutiny and backlash, leaders must assert sustainability’s strategic importance with clarity, evidence, and conviction.
