The Make-or-Break Decade for the SDGs has begun

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Increasing the EU’s Climate ambition for 2030 and 2050 Transforming the EU’s economy for a sustainable future Mobilising research and fostering innovation A zero pollution ambition for a toxic-free environment Supplying clean, affordable, and secure energy Mobilising industry for a clean and circular economy The European Green Deal Preserving and restoring ecosystems and biodiversity From “Farm to Fork”: a fair, healthy, and environmentally friendly food system Building and renovating in an energy and resource efficient way Accelerating the shift to sustainable and smart mobility Financing the transition Leave no one behind (Just Transition) The EU as a global leader A European Climate Pact Source: The European Commission What is the corporate relevance of these policies? In both Green Deals, there is a call for private-sector involvement. The role of the private sector in these policies can be categorized into five core themes. • Innovation and digitalization Fostering sustainable innovation and creating new business models present an opportunity for business to differentiate and capture new markets. The EU is encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation through tax-reform incentives that could encourage sustainable behavior. Leveraging digital innovation is a key focus of both deals; the EU emphasizes the need for digitalization in the fight against the climate crisis and to transform the economy to meet their ambitions. Digital and disruptive technologies can play a key role in delivering climate ambitions, and the private sector can be the fundamental enabler. The focus of both these policies is around reducing GHG emissions, and consequently there is significant appetite for low-emission technologies and sustainable products. The private sector will be able to capitalize on the new markets and jobs that will emerge in the face of the transition to decarbonize these economies. • Collaboration Climate change is a global issue, and cross-border collaboration and action 14 Global Goals Yearbook 2021
FRAMING THE DEBATE is necessary. Both deals back the need for international partnerships to tackle what is a global, borderless crisis. “The involvement and commitment of the public and all stakeholders is crucial to the success of the European Green Deal” (EU Green Deal, page 22). Green alliances form part of the EU strategy in terms of collaboration as they look to strengthen sustainability policy globally. The focus here is for partnerships in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, and the Pacific. To foster collaboration, the Commission introduced the European Climate Pact, which brings together regions, local communities, civil society, and businesses to give them a voice and space to share and develop climate information and ambitions. Digitalization is a key driver of climate action, and with smart infrastructure comes the need to implement crossborder collaboration. If there are international leaders who do not share each other’s ambitions, issues such as carbon leakage become a risk, and the vision of these policies becomes ineffective. Collaboration will also necessitate redefining trade policies to ensure that imports comply with the standards of the respective nations in terms of their sustainability ambitions. • Transparency A significant component of any green policy is the need for more robust and transparent sustainability reporting. The desire for reliable data is imperative to the ambitions of both policies and is something that organizations need to be conscious of in terms of the impacts of these policies on their operations. The EU in particular has outlined 50 policies that form the basis of their Green Deal. Additionally, the new European Climate Law underpins the EU Green Deal. The Art of Alignment highlights investors’ calls for a standardized methodology that will encompass sustainability reporting and deliver trustworthy data. The report suggests robust data can help organizations better communicate long-term value, understand sustainability, and improve stakeholder communications. In so doing businesses can avoid green-washing and make sustainable investments more tangible and accessible, which will drive capital toward them. • Investment The magnitude of investment required (€260 billion annually in the EU) to deliver the ambitions of these policies requires the mobilization of both the public and private sectors. The use of sustainable investment funds is vital to driving sustainable transformation. One way to do this is through effective carbon pricing. The idea is that this will stimulate behavioral changes and foster public and private investment as climate risks are priced in. The CDP has extensive data on carbon pricing and believes that by putting a price on carbon, decisionmakers are able to effectively make the transition to a low-carbon economy a core part of business. Long-term signals are crucial for driving capital to green investments. Importantly, the classification of green investments and transparency of data is needed to encourage capital inflows. In the EU, the rulebook is set by the EU Taxonomy. Investments that are easily identifiable as sustainable make it easier for investors to know which are credible, and thus to invest their capital. The EU currently provides 40 percent of the world’s climate finance, and the hope is that through policies like these, more countries and regions will deliver the investment that is needed. • Just transition Ensuring a just transition is prevalent in both pieces of policy. The visions of these policies are grand, and with any change of this magnitude, trade-offs need to be managed to ensure nobody is left behind. According to an article published by SustainAbility, “Benefits for All: Engagement for a Just Energy Transition,” under-resourced communities bear the brunt of climate change. It is the role of all stakeholders, including business, to ensure the transition is just; in the EU, this will be backed by the Just Transition Mechanism. This will focus on the social and economic costs of the transition in the areas that are most impacted, and it will support business in projects, reskilling redundant employees, and the creation of new workplaces. Governments are calling for privatesector mobilization and support in tackling the climate crisis. There is an opportunity for business to play an active role in transitioning the world toward a low-carbon economy while ensuring no one is left behind. The deals propose radical changes that present a huge opportunity for business to innovate and create new markets, while also making a significant contribution to the fight against the climate crisis. Global Goals Yearbook 2021 15
Page 1 and 2: GLOBAL GOALS GLOBAL GOALS YEARBOOK
Page 3 and 4: “ H.E. António Guterres UN Secre
Page 5 and 6: ZOOMING IN 38 What Does Good SDG Ma
Page 7 and 8: FRAMING THE DEBATE Sustainability B
Page 9 and 10: FRAMING THE DEBATE You can’t do b
Page 11 and 12: FRAMING THE DEBATE ers are increasi
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Page 17 and 18: Measuring Stakeholder Capitalism Ma
Page 19 and 20: FRAMING THE DEBATE planet and the c
Page 21 and 22: FRAMING THE DEBATE Sarah Kaplan, fr
Page 23 and 24: FRAMING THE DEBATE MATERIALITY DEFI
Page 25 and 26: FRAMING THE DEBATE consultancy, and
Page 27 and 28: FRAMING THE DEBATE Christoph Töpfe
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Merck is also driving the Embracing
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ZOOMING IN CIRCULAR ECONOMY The tra
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Quality controls at CWS pay close a
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subsidies or taxes), and knowledge
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ZOOMING IN CO 2 CLIMATE CHANGE Clim
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a more viable economy, AAIB has bee
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• To reduce CO 2 emissions from p
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Race to Zero - but only if we accel
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more than 1,000 lives a year. “Th
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CORTEVA AGRISCIENCE SUSTAINABILITY
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educing the types and quantities of
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ased internal combustion engine, on
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oth today and tomorrow. Specificall
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TECH COMPANIES TAKE ON CLIMATE CHAN
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ZOOMING IN SUSTAINABLE CITIES The w
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Recruitment Policy emphasizes provi
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EXPANSION OF INFRASTRUCTURE IN NORT
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entire portfolio climate-neutral by
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contribute significantly to the dev
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ZOOMING IN SUPPLY CHAIN Supply chai
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Thorsten Pinkepank, Director Corpor
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in the sector. One of the key aims
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in practice. Commissioned by the so
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who can, in turn, further cascade t
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LOOKING AROUND of mankind, it encom
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LOOKING AROUND mate threat than yea
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LOOKING AROUND young people’s nee
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The United Nations Environment Prog
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CDP is a not-for-profit charity tha
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GLOBAL GOALS YEARBOOKS
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The Make-or-Break Decade for the SDGs has begun

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