Before we head into 2020: the start of the ‘decade of delivery’ on the Sustainable Development Goals and the year in which WBCSD celebrates its 25th anniversary – we want to provide you with some highlights of programs and projects we have worked on together with our members in 2019. Enjoy and see you in 2020!
- This year, we embarked on a refresh of our landmark Vision 2050 – almost 10 year after its launch in 2010 – to include critical elements either omitted or that had not existed, and to again provide business with the positive, opportunity-based, action agenda it needs for the decade to come. The refresh of Vision 2050 will be delivered in October at our 2020 Council Meeting in Tokyo.
- See the highlights from our Lisbon Council Meeting last October, including the Leading Women Awards.
- See our involvement in key global events, such as our takeaways from the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, the UN General Assembly week and our analysis of the bitterly disappointing outcome of COP25.
- In Japan, Peter Bakker addressed the G20 Ministerial Meeting , and together with Japan’s Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry (METI) and the TCFD Consortium of Japan, WBCSD held the first-ever TCFD Summit to advance discussions around corporate disclosure on climate change.
- See Peter Bakker’s insights on the need to move from purpose to action and his latest interview with CNNMoney Switzerland urging to set up action plans to get to a 1.5 degrees world.
Below is a roundup of some of the highlights for each of our six Programs and our three Sector Projects.
Circular Economy
CEO Guide to the Circular Bioeconomy
In November, we launched the CEO Guide to the Circular Bioeconomy that gives business leaders a clear understanding of the circular bioeconomy and associated business opportunities.
Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW)
Last January, WBCSD, as a strategic founding partner, helped launch a new global alliance that commits to a goal of USD $1.5 billion to deliver sustainable solutions over the next five years to help end plastic waste in the environment.
Cities & Mobility
Corporate Mobility Pact
In October, together with the City of Lisbon, BCSD Portugal and 56 leading companies and institutions, we launched the Corporate Mobility Pact with over 200 actions to make mobility more sustainable in Lisbon.
LEEP workshop in Xiong’an
Our Low Emissions Economy Partnership (LEEP) project in Xiong’an (China), in collaboration with China BCSD, concluded a second successful workshop in November, in which a new collaboration with the city was launched for the implementation of innovative city solutions - to showcase a Chinese model of a city that is sustainable, low-carbon, smart and green.
Climate & Energy
Guidelines for an Integrated Energy Strategy
In June, we launched guidelines to help companies to develop and execute integrated energy strategies to source low-carbon energy, increase their energy efficiency and drive innovation across value chains.
Business Climate Resilience Report
This report launched in September brings together important global developments and the latest thinking on climate adaptation and resilience, with a focus on private sector climate resilience.
Food & Nature
CEO Guide to Food System Transformation
On World Food Day, we released the CEO Guide to Food System Transformation which outlines seven pathways and clear actions for CEOs to transform our food system in the next decade.
Business for Nature (BfN) and One Planet Business for Biodiversity (OP2B)
We launched two coalitions bringing together companies that share interests and recognize this urgent need to act: BfN, a coalition of international organizations focused on delivering policy by creating a united business voice to help reverse the loss of nature, and OP2B, a coalition of agriculture-centric companies focused on delivering action to protect and restore biodiversity within their supply chains and product portfolios.
People
CEO Guide to Human Rights & Call to Action for Business Leadership on Human Rights
In June, we launched a CEO Guide to Human Rights and a Call to Action for Business Leadership on Human Rights calling for CEOs to drive transformative, positive change in the lives of people affected by business operations.
Leadership statement on the Future of Work
The statement, issued in September, highlights the urgency of addressing the Future of Work today and invites business leaders to shape a sustainable future of work through people-centered solutions.
Redefining Value
Reporting matters 2019
The seventh edition of our annual review of member companies’ sustainability and integrated reports, issued in October in partnership with Radley Yeldar (RY), calls on regulators and standard setters to simplify and align the corporate reporting landscape.
Collaborative work on ERM-ESG alignment earns UN ISAR Honors
Our collaborative work on integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspects into companies’ mainstream enterprise risk management practices with the Committee of the Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) and EY received the ISAR Honors 2019 award in October from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Forest Solutions Group
Forest Sector SDG Roadmap
We launched an SDG Roadmap for the Forest Sector in July to maximize the sector’s contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and unlock the business opportunities on the journey to 2030 and beyond.
Global Agribusiness Alliance
Agribusiness Partnerships for Sustainable Landscapes
We showcased strong examples of landscape partnerships around the world to learn from a selection of innovative, regenerative, and restorative approaches in which agribusiness companies are actively involved. These case studies published in January demonstrate the agribusiness perspective on landscape partnerships—their business rationale, institutional models, business and landscape benefits, and how to bring success to scale.
Tackling Food Loss and Waste - case studies
Our Food Loss and Waste Working Group, a cooperation between GAA, FreSH and CSA, released a series of case studies in July demonstrating innovative approaches to mitigating food loss and waste across the supply chain. This initiative aims to scale private sector action through fostering more knowledge-sharing and peer-learning.
Tire Industry Project
Tire Industry Project CEO meeting in Kyoto
At the biennial Tire Industry Project (TIP) meeting in Kyoto in November, CEOs of the 11 leading tire manufacturers reviewed progress and reaffirmed their commitment to the global forum for tire manufacturers on sustainability issues.
Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) holds inaugural General Assembly
The Tire Industry Project (TIP)-initiated platform appointed its first Executive Committee, officially installing an independent and stakeholder-representative governance structure for the platform that works for a fair, equitable and environmentally sound natural rubber value chain.