The Road To 2030

So here we are.  We are the ones who must transform how business is done. And we have to do it now. 

The global sustainability threats that have been simmering — climate crisis, water scarcity and pollution and the rampant inequalities and inequities in the workforce — are reaching a boiling point. There is no longer any time to wait for the next generation to take up these challenges. 

This is the decade. We must choose our future. Today. 

It is time for corporations to ask themselves: What does it take to stabilize the climate, protect water and natural resources and build a just and inclusive economy?  What does it take to be a sustainable business leader and thrive in an accelerated transition to a net-zero emissions future?

Past choices led us here. It is up to us to now choose how we want to answer these questions. 

We can decide to pursue a better path. One that doesn’t just blunt the impacts of the catastrophic risks bearing down on the world, but that reshapes economic and capital allocation to be more just and inclusive and in line with how our planet can support us—and that simultaneously unleashes massive financial and business opportunities.

Some of the world’s largest companies are already showing how they can help make such a future a reality.  

Just consider the past few months. Tech giant Apple announced goals to reach net zero emissions by 2030, while Google committed to becoming carbon free by the end of the decade. Coffee chain Starbucks announced its commitment to become resource positive—including targets to reduce waste, replenish water and cut carbon emissions across its operations and supply chain. Microsoft pledged to replenish more water than it consumes in its direct operations by 2030 to commitments it made earlier this year to become a carbon negative, zero waste company by 2030. These are just some of the companies that recognize that their success relies upon doing business differently.

Or, of course, companies can choose to stay with business as usual. And continue down the road that will condemn large swaths of the planet to becoming uninhabitable and unproductive because of extreme heat, unrelenting drought, rising seas and water scarcity. We can accept systemic inequality and inequities within our corporate walls and social fabric, along with the unrest and lost opportunity it engenders. We can continue the unrelenting consumption of our forests, water and other increasingly scarce resources, ratcheting up competition among not only companies, but local communities and nations.   

The choice is theirs. To be a viable company in 10, 20 or 30 years and beyond, the decision is clear.

To help companies strategically navigate this new reality, Ceres today introduced the Ceres Roadmap 2030, a bold vision of sustainable business leadership. It provides a practical 10-year action plan to help companies embed sustainability into how they do business — from strategic planning and execution to corporate governance and disclosure — and advocate for the policy and regulatory changes needed to redefine  business as usual. 

The Ceres Roadmap 2030 lays out the necessary actions companies must take this decade in order to stabilize the climate, protect water and natural resources and build a just and inclusive economy. Through a dedicated, prescriptive microsite, it details the steps companies can take right now, over the next five years and by 2030, to build an effective sustainable business strategy that meets the urgency of the challenges before us.

The Ceres Roadmap 2030’s three-pronged approach starts with the most critical actions companies need to take to transform their business models. To stabilize the climate by 2030,  it outlines a combination of steps companies can take to slash greenhouse gas emissions at least 50% in order to limit warming to 1.5 C, including target setting, adopting low and zero-emissions transportation and eliminating deforestation. Companies cannot accomplish these goals unless they embed sustainability into every aspect of their business — and the Ceres Roadmap 2030  lays out specific steps for achieving this. The third critical piece is the call for companies to reshape the economic and social systems they operate in by advocating for public policy and regulatory changes, engaging with investors and collaborating with stakeholders. 

By transforming how they do business, companies will future proof their operations against systemic risks. They will create lucrative new markets. They will attract and retain the best and brightest talent. And they will outperform competitors by delivering superior returns. 

The business case for driving a sustainable business strategy has never been more clear and investors are increasingly supporting and pushing companies to make this transition. Investments in sustainability-directed assets are soaring, nearly doubling during the past four years to about $40.5 trillion globally. During just the past year, the largest asset managers in the world—from BlackRock to State Street —brought their significant heft to bear in support of an investment approach grounded in the understanding that sustainability is not only critical for risk management, it is critical for value creation. In short, it’s just good business.

Sustainability risks are known, they have been predicted and they are poised to disrupt investment portfolios, corporate operations and supply chains, threaten financial systems and cause widespread human and economic suffering—unless we take concerted action to reverse them.  And time has run out.

With a commitment to ambition, innovation and swift action, the Ceres Roadmap 2030 will help companies to not only survive, but thrive in the accelerated transition to a more equitable, just and sustainable economy. Together, we can build a future where sustainability is the bottom line.