Logo

Study Shows Most Chiefs Unsure of How to Proceed on Sustainability

Published: Feb 10, 2010

 CSR       

In a new report published by The Economist's Intelligence Unit today discusses the reasons behind firms embracing sustainable practices and questions how companies are embedding corporate social responsibility into their businesses, and how they are gauging and reporting their success.

Some key findings in this well-timed report indicate that a lot of confusion is behind the lack of progress in companies taking up sustainability initiatives. Researched among 200 senior executives in sustainability, CSR and the finance industry, along with interviews with academicians and industry experts, it cites the dithering economy as a main reason impeding their growth in successfully taking up sustainability.

34% of surveyed executives said their company's immediate financial progress is preventing them from focusing on sustainability. Interestingly enough, 27% also confessed to a lack of consensus on what to pursue in their efforts to become sustainable and over half of them said that the most aggressive effort in that direction came as "strongest statement from top management." Sounds familiar doesn't it? It happens to follow the footsteps of our recent discussion earlier this week about Coca-Cola's chief discussing sustainability at his company and calling himself the top eco-officer at the beverage maker!

Read the full report on the Economist

***