by Shane Henson — June 6, 2011—A new research study shows major differences in perceptions of sustainability between CEOs in different industry sectors, and significant gaps in the level of integration of sustainability already achieved in their companies. A New Era of Sustainability, published by Accenture and the United Nations Global Compact, surveyed 766 CEOs in seven key industry sectors: automotive, banking, communications, consumer goods, energy, infrastructure and transportation, and utilities.
Key findings include that 93 percent of the CEOs surveyed believe that sustainability will be “important” or “very important” to the future success of their company. Yet significant differences appear at the industry level. For example, 100 percent of automotive CEOs and executives heading large consumer goods companies see sustainability as critical to their success. However, only 22 percent of CEOs in the communications sector perceive sustainability to be a “very important” factor in shaping their future success, the lowest in any of the seven industries.
The industry analysis also shows that some sectors may be ahead of the pack when it comes to integrating sustainability into core business. Eighty percent of utilities CEOs, for example, report their company has embedded metrics to track sustainability performance, ahead of the cross-industry average of 64 percent. Similarly, 83 percent of CEOs in the energy sector and 81 percent of those in infrastructure say their company measures both positive and negative impacts of their activities on sustainability outcomes. This finding suggests sustainability performance management capabilities are beginning to take root in leading industries, say the researchers.
Nevertheless, performance gaps remain between CEOs’ ambition and execution. For example, 95 percent of automotive executives believe that companies should invest in enhanced training of managers to integrate sustainability into strategy and operations, but just 52 percent report that their company already does so.
