From climate targets to holistic solutions

12 December marked the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement. In this insight, Peter Bakker shares his thoughts on the need to move from setting climate targets to holistic solutions ahead of COP26 next year which will be all about implementation. Business has a major role to play and a strong voice, which we should use. But we really should also use COP26 to build renewed collaboration with governments and the investor community, as well as with civil society, because only together will we get implementation to scale.

WBCSD chief Peter Bakker: the real work starts with turning climate pledges into plans

In this interview with Geneva Solutions, Peter Bakker takes a positive perspective on the shift in business attitudes and the road to net zero but says more work is needed to turn ambition into action. An increasing number of companies have rallied behind commitments to reach net zero emissions by the mid-century, but the greatest challenge they now face is making detailed plans on how to get there.

The high-stake race for climate

Claire O’Neill, Managing Director for Climate & Energy at WBCSD, shares her thinking on the milestone that the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement represents and the need to turn all commitments and targets into reality, with COP26 as one of the upcoming key milestones, but also for business and governments to work better together to accelerate the key solutions for a net zero world.

Shaping up the race to net zero

Read the December issue of Reuters Events Sustainable Business's magazine "Shaping up for the race to net zero", including a net zero briefing with insights from our President & CEO Peter Bakker.

Looking ahead to 2021: Opportunities for a sustainable India

In this insight, Joe Phelan (Director, WBCSD India) shares his thoughts about the year that just went past and the opportunities that will be available in the years to come in India and elsewhere. Businesses in India have a critical role to play in shaping these transformations to build India’s competitiveness and inclusivity. Companies that prioritize India’s sustainable development in their growth strategies stand to benefit in the coming decade.

The Voice of Youth: WBCSD explores the perspectives of young people in support of its Vision 2050

As businesses globally continue to align around critical global efforts to drive the systemic transformations that will be needed to help achieve the SDGs, one stakeholder group with whom it is vital that the private sector remains closely engaged is the world’s young people. Their voice is critical in shaping a more sustainable present & future – their energy and innovation are crucial to drive the transformations that are needed to deliver the #SDGs and Vision 2050.

Accelerating business solutions for climate & nature

The Nature Action project launched a new guidance titled: "Mapping nature-based solutions and natural climate solutions". This document helps remove investment hurdles in nature-based solutions (NbS) by clarifying the scope and definitions of natural climate solutions (NCS) and NbS, which have the potential to deliver up to 37% of solutions to achieve the Paris Agreement.

COVID-19: a dashboard to rebuild with nature

There is now ample evidence that nature plays a key role in the COVID-19 pandemic's emergence and recovery. This white paper proposes a dashboard based on the two core planetary boundaries of climate change and nature loss. The paper demonstrates that a sustainability transformation through which we rebuild our world differently with nature is humanity's best bet for the coming decades. The report concludes that a nature positive food system is the most effective way to build resilience against future shocks, including new pandemics.

Food and Agriculture Roadmap - New chapter : Policy recommendations from a consumer perspective

This policy chapter in our Food and Agriculture Roadmap consolidates the output of the Science-to-Policy Dialogue, which brought together academia, policymakers, business and civil society to co-develop policy recommendations for food systems transformation.

Forest Sector SDG Roadmap: implementation report

One year from the launch of the Forest Sector SDG Roadmap, the Forest Solutions Group (FSG) has released its first Implementation Report. Through key performance indicators and illustrative examples, the report describes the forest sector's many interconnections with global development issues such as climate change, water scarcity, biodiversity loss, or social inequality. With this report FSG members are holding themselves accountable to driving progress on the SDGs and tracking and disclosing their progress along the way.

Soft Commodities Forum Progress report

WBCSD’s Soft Commodities Forum (SCF) published its latest progress report (available in English and in Brazilian Portugues) which focuses on the achievement of the SCF’s ambitious soybean supply chain traceability targets in Brazil's Cerrado region. It also provided progress on its landscape partnerships and offered insights into priorities and next steps as it continues to expand its work.

Circular Views podcast now available

Earlier this month we launched WBCSD’s first circular economy podcast – Circular Views - as a medium to provide more insights in this space through discussions with business leaders from companies at the forefront of the circular journey. For our first episode, we invited Roy Vissers from DSM, Harald Tepper from Philips and Amelie Rouvin from Veolia, to discuss how it is possible to measure circularity at the company level. Listen to it on iTunes and Spotify.

The circular economy could forever change how cars are made – here’s how

While the growth in electric vehicles is happening faster than we thought, truly meeting climate goals will take riding the momentum of another big transition – one to the circular economy. Leaning into these parallel shifts could spark a revolution in how cars are made and used. Read more about how the automotive industry can make a shift to circularity in this insight by our Mobility Director, Thomas Deloison, and Christoph Wolff, Head of Shaping the Future of Mobility, World Economic Forum.

How can business strengthen SDG action in the COVID-19 era?

A few weeks ago, during the International Forum for Sustainable Asia and the Pacific (ISAP), business representatives discussed the role of companies in driving progress on sustainability to deliver long-term prosperity and resilience in line with the SDGs. WBCSD’s Filippo Veglio advocated our position that the SDGs, and the pathway to prosperity for people and planet that they represent, are, in many ways, more important than ever before. He also laid out how WBCSD supports companies in making the SDGs a matter of priority in view of identifying the areas where a business is best equipped to drive real action and impact.

Who will you nominate for the 2021 educational programs?

We are pleased to present two educational opportunities for 2021 providing inspirational courses with the world's top universities to your company's aspiring leaders: our Leadership Program, a unique executive education program, focused on business, leadership and sustainable development and the LEAP Program that is an executive program for women that strives to build the diverse and inclusive leadership. Check out the brochure on how to nominate your aspiring leaders.