FAQs on sustainable business growth

Decarbonisation doesn’t just mean reducing your carbon emissions. It’s also about ensuring your organisation remains profitable in the long-term, and that it’s able to withstand risks, meet regulatory requirements, adapt to changing market demands and make a positive contribution to local communities. In short, it means balancing the demands of both planet and profit.

Get this right, and there are wide-ranging benefits. Our research found that leading sustainable businesses are less exposed to policy risks and uncertainty; they’re better able to hold their nerve in the face of short-term pressures; they’re better able to prioritise long-term gains; and they’re able to use energy-efficient technologies to develop new revenue streams.

Download our sustainability report to hear what your peers are thinking about sustainability, their energy transition and the journey to net zero, and the steps they're taking now.

Some of the world’s best-known brands and CEOs say they remain committed to the plans for zero carbon that they had put in place previously. Far from reducing the ambition, COVID-19 has created a groundswell of interest from the public, investors and shareholders that is exerting pressure on businesses to maintain the pace of change.

In our new guide we explain how executive teams can build and successfully implement a carbon reduction plan, the importance of communicating the business value of corporate sustainability initiatives and we review some best practices that illustrate an energy transition, what we call an Energy Pathway, that achieves your ambitious net zero targets.

Corporate sustainability relies on finding the right balance between economic and environmental considerations. Organisations cannot focus exclusively on profit, without considering their environmental impact – equally, they would be left without a viable business model, if they prioritised environmental concerns over financial performance.

To help organisations find this balance, we created the Sustainable Business Model. Based on the input of influential analysts and business leaders, the model identifies eight characteristics of business success. The most sustainable businesses won’t just possess these eight characteristics - they will continuously execute them in an environmentally and economically balanced manner, in order to drive long-term business success.