如何成为可持续发展领导者并创造可持续价值
压力很大，风险也很大。随着公司纷纷想办法向可持续转型，做好准备推动积极的环境和社会变革，行业将出现巨大变化，也会迎来全新增长机会。
只要努力实现《巴黎协定》的目标，就能够改变全球经济。到2050年，投资总额预计将达到100万亿美元至150万亿美元。将可持续性纳入商业议程的核心不仅是正确之举，对于执行得力的公司也将成为关键竞争优势。
以下是获得独特优势的一个例子，可供参考：
随着越来越多的公司追求净零议程，在实现目标所需的资源、基础设施、能力和人才方面将出现激烈的斗争。等到距今不远的2025年，再生塑料供应预计将短缺45%。而现在，原材料供应还不到2030年电池需求的三分之一。
可持续性竞赛造成的资源稀缺可能会带来巨大麻烦，或许企业可以找到方法将其转化为优势来源，同时降低风险并增强适应能力，加速转变，从而为地球带来巨大益处。
发现重要价值来源的其他机会众多。举例来说，汽车制造商如果能够在脱碳初始阶段消除范围1和范围2的60%碳排放，每年就可能节约大量能源，降低的成本可以协助为降低剩余40%碳排放成本提供资金。虽然制造可持续产品意味着成本更高，但增幅通常很小。例如制造净零供应售价400美元的智能手机，成本增长不到1%。
抓住机会的关键是对待可持续时不仅仅从ESG（环境、社会和公司治理）合规角度看待。实际范畴要大得多，对多数公司领导人来说，这一点将是未来几年战略议程的核心。高管要找到方法，为企业创造真正价值的同时产生社会影响，并且将各项努力融入到企业的各个部分。
以下是要创造价值必须采取的五项行动：
• 目标定位可持续。强调最符合公司希望对世界产生独特影响，也符合更广泛利益相关者价值观和需求的ESG领域。将可持续发展战略与公司目标结合，能够确保更持久有效。
• 创建新型可持续企业。随着公共和私营部门在净零经济中投资越来越多，公司有机会打进新市场并提供独特的优势。这需要创造性思维、试验和大胆行动，将核心业务优势与新机遇出现时积极参与的观察结合起来。
• 推动核心业务可持续发展。端到端供应链要更加透明，创建一致指标、数据和分析工具，指导工作重点并推动供应商进一步实现可持续。
• 培养能力。可持续发展需要坚实的基础，包括强有力的治理体系、新的人才和企业管理技能、广泛的数据能力和详尽的报告过程。随着成为可持续发展领导者的要求挑战越来越大，对ESG技能和创新保持持续改进的心态非常重要。
• 掌握叙事。鼓励员工、投资者和其他利益相关者参与，积极分享可持续发展故事。不让评级机构、活动家和媒体定义公司、相关进展以及主张。
一些公司很早就明确如何利用迅速增长的数字颠覆机会，在可持续性转型方面同样会出现（而且已有）领导者。挑战来自多方面，随着时间推移，今后将更加复杂。但通过从内到外推动可持续发展战略，公司可以管理各种复杂状况，创造有意义的社会和环境影响，获得持久价值。（财富中文网）
李瑞麒（Rich Lesser）是波士顿咨询公司（Boston Consulting Group）首席执行官。里奇·哈钦森负责波士顿咨询公司的社会影响实践。
译者：夏林
压力很大，风险也很大。随着公司纷纷想办法向可持续转型，做好准备推动积极的环境和社会变革，行业将出现巨大变化，也会迎来全新增长机会。
只要努力实现《巴黎协定》的目标，就能够改变全球经济。到2050年，投资总额预计将达到100万亿美元至150万亿美元。将可持续性纳入商业议程的核心不仅是正确之举，对于执行得力的公司也将成为关键竞争优势。
以下是获得独特优势的一个例子，可供参考：
随着越来越多的公司追求净零议程，在实现目标所需的资源、基础设施、能力和人才方面将出现激烈的斗争。等到距今不远的2025年，再生塑料供应预计将短缺45%。而现在，原材料供应还不到2030年电池需求的三分之一。
可持续性竞赛造成的资源稀缺可能会带来巨大麻烦，或许企业可以找到方法将其转化为优势来源，同时降低风险并增强适应能力，加速转变，从而为地球带来巨大益处。
发现重要价值来源的其他机会众多。举例来说，汽车制造商如果能够在脱碳初始阶段消除范围1和范围2的60%碳排放，每年就可能节约大量能源，降低的成本可以协助为降低剩余40%碳排放成本提供资金。虽然制造可持续产品意味着成本更高，但增幅通常很小。例如制造净零供应售价400美元的智能手机，成本增长不到1%。
抓住机会的关键是对待可持续时不仅仅从ESG（环境、社会和公司治理）合规角度看待。实际范畴要大得多，对多数公司领导人来说，这一点将是未来几年战略议程的核心。高管要找到方法，为企业创造真正价值的同时产生社会影响，并且将各项努力融入到企业的各个部分。
以下是要创造价值必须采取的五项行动：
• 目标定位可持续。强调最符合公司希望对世界产生独特影响，也符合更广泛利益相关者价值观和需求的ESG领域。将可持续发展战略与公司目标结合，能够确保更持久有效。
• 创建新型可持续企业。随着公共和私营部门在净零经济中投资越来越多，公司有机会打进新市场并提供独特的优势。这需要创造性思维、试验和大胆行动，将核心业务优势与新机遇出现时积极参与的观察结合起来。
• 推动核心业务可持续发展。端到端供应链要更加透明，创建一致指标、数据和分析工具，指导工作重点并推动供应商进一步实现可持续。
• 培养能力。可持续发展需要坚实的基础，包括强有力的治理体系、新的人才和企业管理技能、广泛的数据能力和详尽的报告过程。随着成为可持续发展领导者的要求挑战越来越大，对ESG技能和创新保持持续改进的心态非常重要。
• 掌握叙事。鼓励员工、投资者和其他利益相关者参与，积极分享可持续发展故事。不让评级机构、活动家和媒体定义公司、相关进展以及主张。
一些公司很早就明确如何利用迅速增长的数字颠覆机会，在可持续性转型方面同样会出现（而且已有）领导者。挑战来自多方面，随着时间推移，今后将更加复杂。但通过从内到外推动可持续发展战略，公司可以管理各种复杂状况，创造有意义的社会和环境影响，获得持久价值。（财富中文网）
李瑞麒（Rich Lesser）是波士顿咨询公司（Boston Consulting Group）首席执行官。里奇·哈钦森负责波士顿咨询公司的社会影响实践。
译者：夏林
The pressure is on, and the stakes are huge. As companies figure out how to transform themselves to become more sustainable, ready to drive positive environmental and societal change, we will see enormous change within industries—and brand-new opportunities for growth.
The efforts to reach the Paris Agreement goals alone will transform the global economy and require investments totaling an estimated $100 trillion to $150 trillion by 2050. Embedding sustainability in the core of the business agenda is not only the right thing to do, but will be a critical source of competitive advantage for the companies that do it right.
Here’s one example of a unique advantage that’s up for grabs:
As more companies pursue net-zero agendas, there will be a fierce struggle to obtain the resources, infrastructure, capabilities, and talent that they’ll need to reach their goals. In 2025, right around the corner from now, supply of recycled plastic is projected to be 45% short of demand. And today we have less than one-third the supply of raw materials that we’ll need to meet the battery demand of 2030.
The scarcities caused by the race to sustainability can bring substantial headaches—or companies can find ways to turn them into sources of advantage while mitigating risk, deepening their own resilience, and accelerating a change of great benefit to our planet.
Other opportunities to uncover important sources of value abound. In the case of auto manufacturers, for instance, eliminating 60% of scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions during an initial phase of decarbonization has the potential to generate significant annual savings, and those cost reductions can help fund the costs of eliminating the remaining 40%. Even when manufacturing a sustainable product means higher costs, the increases are often marginal—less than 1% for a $400 smartphone built with a net-zero supply, for example.
The main trick to seizing these opportunities is to move beyond looking at sustainability only through an ESG (environmental, social, and governance) compliance lens. It’s much larger than that, and for most company leaders it will be core to their strategic agendas for years to come. They have to find ways to make a societal impact while creating real value for the business, integrating these efforts into every part of the organization.
Here are five actions essential to that value creation agenda:
• Anchor sustainability in purpose. Emphasize the areas of ESG that are most aligned with the unique impact your company is trying to have on the world and with the values and needs of your broader stakeholders. Connecting sustainability strategy to the company’s purpose will make it more lasting and impactful.
• Build new sustainable businesses. As the public and private sectors invest more and more in a net-zero economy, companies have the chance to dive into new markets where they can offer unique advantages. This requires creative thinking, experimentation, and bold actions to combine the strengths of the core business with insights into how to get involved in new opportunities as they arise.
• Make the core sustainable. It’s imperative to make supply chains more transparent from end to end, creating consistent metrics and data and analytic tools to guide prioritization and push suppliers toward greater sustainability.
• Build capabilities. Sustainability requires the right foundation, including a strong governance system, new people and organization skills, extensive data capabilities, and robust reporting processes. And as the requirements for being a sustainability leader become more challenging, it’s important to have a continuous improvement mindset toward ESG skills and innovation.
• Own the narrative. Share the company’s sustainability story in a way that engages employees, investors, and other stakeholders. Don’t let the ratings agencies, activists, and media define you, your progress, and what you stand for.
Just as some companies understood early on how to take advantage of fast-growing digital disruption, there will be (and already are) leaders in sustainability transformation. The challenges are many, and they’ll get more complex over the years. But by driving a sustainability strategy from the inside out, companies can manage that complexity, create meaningful societal and environmental impact—and capture value that lasts.
Rich Lesser is CEO of Boston Consulting Group. Rich Hutchinson leads BCG’s Social Impact practice.
