Kathleen Enright
Managing Director, Salterbaxter
The success of COP26 cannot be achieved if businesses do not play a fundamental role. That does not just mean buy-in – it means true business progress.
Despite all the pledges and promises, very few companies are making the climate commitments that the world needs. Even when they are, even less are combining those with the leadership necessary to transform business at the pace and scale needed.
So much money is spent on looking good rather than doing good. So much effort is spent on sustainability strategies that feel safe, rather than upping the ambition and driving real progress. So much creativity is wasted on communications that celebrate modest achievements rather than driving change against specific issues.
The time is up for leader boards and rankings – the only benchmark that matters is progress against a sustainable future.
Rethinking benchmarks towards progress
Many of our clients are doing this right, but many more are missing the mark. The time is up for leader boards and rankings – the only benchmark that matters is progress against a sustainable future. That is progress towards 1.5 degrees. Progress that drives circular innovation. Progress that delivers radical inclusion. Progress that delivers value for all.
Such business transformation requires enormous focus and ambition. That can only come from deep issues knowledge and courageous leadership.
Businesses can only play their part in ensuring the future of our planet by losing the grey areas and the comfort of generic commitments worded with generic language.
Pinpointing levers of progress
New tools are also needed, to help businesses track themselves against true progress instead of arbitrary corporate commitments. Salterbaxer’s latest tool, developed in partnership with the World Benchmarking Alliance, named ProgressPoint, pinpoints the unique levers within every business to drive the progress the world needs, while unlocking growth and ROI as well.
ProgressPoint helps set the path for progress. That path is unique to every business, as are the levers that it identifies against sustainability strategy, transformational leadership and comms to drive change.
Businesses can only play their part in ensuring the future of our planet by losing the grey areas and the comfort of generic commitments worded with generic language. ProgressPoint gives businesses sharp focus and clear levers for leadership action, so that we can all work towards a future planet worth inhabiting and an economic model to be proud of.