Survey Finds 93% of Experts Call Current Sustainability Approach Inadequate

A "Sustainability at a Crossroads" survey by the ERM Sustainability Institute, GlobeScan, and Volans found 93% of sustainability experts consider the prevailing approach inadequate, with 56% calling for a radical overhaul. The findings give Indian corporate-governance and capital-markets stakeholders evidence-based guidance amid rising compliance challenges and sustainability backlash.

A survey by the ERM Sustainability Institute, GlobeScan, and Volans found 93% of sustainability experts judged the prevailing approach to environmental and social development inadequate, with 56% calling for a radical overhaul. Performance ratings were low: national governments scored just 5% positive, the private sector 14%, the United Nations 29% (down 12 points from 2021), and NGOs 45% (down 16 points). Globally, 70% of respondents noted significant resistance to sustainability efforts, most pronounced in North America at 91% and least in Asia-Pacific at 38%.

The findings affect corporate governance teams, regulatory affairs functions, and capital-markets participants navigating sustainability backlash and execution gaps. Experts cited technological innovation and R&D, named by 70%, as the top high-impact and feasible corporate strategy, followed by integrating sustainability into core operations and circular-economy adoption. On policy, carbon pricing and urban sustainability planning ranked most promising. In finance, impact investing, ESG integration, and green bonds were highlighted, while natural and human capital accounting, though high-impact, scored low on practical implementation.

Companies seeking long-term resilience should re-evaluate innovation, accountability, and engagement within their sustainability portfolios using the report's 64 actionable strategies toward 2030. GlobeScan CEO Chris Coulter called the current system untenable but pointed to a forward roadmap; ERM's Mark Lee urged bold adjustments; Volans founder John Elkington warned current corporate strategies are no longer fit for purpose. The report's segmentation of experts into Incumbents and Insurgents helps stakeholders identify collaboration opportunities and strategic divergence for higher-impact recalibration.

Key figure — Experts calling current approach inadequate: 93%