An overwhelming majority of corporate CEOs - 93% - say that sustainability will be critical to the future success of their companies, in spite of the recent economic downturn.

Furthermore, CEOs believe that, within a decade, a tipping point could be reached that fully meshes sustainability with core business. These are two findings of a survey of 766 CEOs around the globe by the United Nations Global Compact and Accenture. The study included extensive interviews with 50 of the world's leading CEOs.

According to 'A New Era of Sustainability: UN Global Compact-Accenture CEO Study 2010', the global economic downturn did little to dampen corporate commitment to sustainability. In fact it seems to have done the opposite: 80% of the CEOs say the downturn has raised the importance of sustainability. They also identified consumers as their most important stakeholder as they demand products and services that address sustainability concerns.

"CEOs told us they have by necessity been on the defensive during the downturn, but that they feel now is the time to get on the front foot in aligning sustainability with core business strategy and execution," said Mark Foster, Accenture's group chief executive, management consulting and global markets.

However, CEOs say spreading sustainability across the breadth of their organisation is particularly difficult. For example, while 88% of CEOs believe they should be integrating sustainability through their supply chain, only 54% believe this is being achieved in their company. A similar performance gap is seen for subsidiaries. The UN Global Compact can therefore help by providing valuable guidance on implementation.

"Achieving greater environmental and social sustainability takes time, effort and a sincere leadership commitment," said Georg Kell, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact. "Two-thirds of the CEOs we surveyed are looking to the Global Compact as a forum for sharing best practices and emerging ideas on sustainability, and we look forward to helping guide their efforts to develop effective policies and tangible practices."

Peter Lacy, who led the study and is managing director, Sustainability Services at Accenture for Europe, Africa, Middle East and Latin America, added: "If sustainability does become fully integrated into global businesses within the next decade, the regulatory, technology, investment and consumer changes required will be staggering, creating significant winners and losers across businesses and industries.

"However, it's great to see that some progress is being made, and that the movement toward a more sustainable economy and business context is clearly gaining momentum."

http://ethicalperformance.com/reports/links/bit-9Fsyut

http://ethicalperformance.com/reports/links/accenture-sustainability