$12 trillion – profiting from the planet

Business strategy vs sustainability strategy… are they different? Does one compromise the other? Our panel doesn’t think so. And it offers up the case to prove it.

Way back in 2017, The Better Business World Report was released. It detailed how achieving four of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals could benefit businesses to the tune of US$12 trillion.

Have businesses followed this advice? And what happens if you don’t align sustainability with business strategy?

Find out why Lord Malloch-Brown, chair of the Business and Sustainable Development Commission, is calling for businesses to demand system change and the simple and complex roles that technology can play in positive change, and why Craig Bennet, CEO of Friends of the Earth, says that he sees so many “dead companies walking” because they’re ill-prepared and are “Blockbusters in a Netflix age”.

And what about a company that’s walking the talk? Unilever spends a “lot of time” thinking about the SDGs, says its CFO Graeme Pitkethly. Discover how it has aligned all its strategies into one sustainable purpose – and what this means for consumers and stakeholders. 

As a bonus episode, here’s our exclusive, full interview with Unilever CFO Graeme Pitkethly and financial journalist Louise Cooper. 

“Our sustainable business strategy is our strategy,” says Unilever’s CFO, Graeme Pitkethly. Hear the full discussion with Louise Cooper that covers why Unilever has combined all its strategies into one – and how this drives board and brand discussions; how the UN’s SDGs are a toolkit for business and how Graeme believe this is best serving the company’s stakeholders.

Louise doesn’t shy away from the tough questions, so expect palm oil, plastics, water resources and … naked production to be tackled.

ICAEW’s climate hub is designed to help members and businesses respond to climate risk now.

All views expressed on this podcast are those of the contributors and don’t necessarily reflect those of ICAEW or its members.