Skip to content
  • About
  • Partner with Us
  • Advertorial
  • Event
  • Training
  • Internship
  • Indonesia
Primary Menu
  • Home
  • Topics
  • Latest
  • News
  • Press Release
  • Brief
  • Interview
  • Opinion
  • Figure
  • Community
  • Youth
  • SDGs
  • Featured
  • News

Survey Reveals Experts’ Perception on Sustainability Issues and Sustainability Leaders

The GlobeScan-SustainAbility Survey: 2023 Sustainability Leaders shares insight into global sustainability experts’ perceptions on the priority sustainability issues and sustainability leaders.
by Kresentia Madina June 26, 2023
a close up of a person holding a lightbulb

Photo: Freepik.

For several years, the world has been trying to mitigate various crises. Country governments, businesses, and organizations have specific roles in contributing to the sustainability journey. In this case, the role of sustainability leaders is crucial to shaping actions to the meaningful direction.

The GlobeScan-SustainAbility Survey: 2023 Sustainability Leaders is the latest research from GlobeScan and the SustainAbility Institute by ERM. It shares insight into global sustainability experts’ perceptions on the priority sustainability issues and sustainability leaders based on a survey conducted to over 500 sustainability professionals from corporate, government, academia, and non-profit sectors across 63 countries. 

Challenges & Breakthrough Developments

The world is facing multiple crises, and several of them are deemed high urgency by sustainability experts. According to the report, climate change is considered the most urgent issue (93%), followed by biodiversity loss (86%), water scarcity (86%), deforestation (86%), and poverty (80%). The complete list also includes issues such as access to quality education, waste, and economic inequality.

Besides the issues, the report also highlights the experts’ opinions on the most significant sustainability initiatives and developments between 2022 and 2023. New sustainability legislation topped the list with 25% of expert votes, citing examples such as the United States Inflation Reduction Act and the European Union’s Green Deal. Disclosure standards (13%) and the COP15 biodiversity agreement (10%) hold the second and third spots as the most significant developments.

In Asia-Pacific, sustainability leaders viewed legislation and business action towards sustainability (14%) as the most significant positive development, followed by sustainability disclosure standards (11%) and renewables and carbon-related developments (10%). 

Sustainability Leaders

Creating meaningful progress for sustainable development is a collective responsibility. Beyond governments, businesses and organizations must also advance their sustainability efforts and collaborate to achieve greater results. 

The report identifies several companies and organizations deemed as sustainability leaders by experts. Several factors that contributed to this perception include placing sustainability at the very core of the business model (31%), prioritizing tangible impact and action (23%), and setting ambitious goals and targets (16%). 

With these considerations, the American outdoor clothing line Patagonia is the most recognized for its sustainability efforts, receiving votes from 32% of the experts. Unilever (29%), IKEA (10%), Natura & Co (9%), and Microsoft (6%) round out the top five. 

Non-governmental organizations are also recognized as a part of sustainability leaders. Experts voted for collaboration and engagement (37%), long-term commitment (27%), and scale of initiatives (22%) as the top three defining aspects of leadership for NGOs.

Advancing Sustainability

The world is constantly changing and will present new challenges in our sustainability journey. Still, sustainability leaders must continue to advance sustainable agenda through multi-sectoral initiatives and multi-stakeholder participation. Experts see sustainability issues as long-term high priorities, and companies, governments, and NGOs are taking more and more action to address them. Continued and better, bolder efforts to address these issues will be needed to ensure we meet our collective goal of creating a more sustainable world.

Editor: Nazalea Kusuma

Thank you for reading!
If you find this article insightful, subscribe to Green Network Asia’s Weekly Newsletter to stay up-to-date with sustainable development news and stories from multistakeholder communities in the Asia Pacific and beyond.
SUBSCRIBE NOW
Kresentia Madina
Website | + posts

Madina is the Assistant Manager for Program at Green Network Asia. She is an English major graduate from Universitas Indonesia with two
years of demonstrated experience in editorial and creative writing,
researching, editing, and creating content.

  • Kresentia Madina
    https://greennetwork.asia/author/kresentiamadina/
    Looking Closer to Human Rights Issues
  • Kresentia Madina
    https://greennetwork.asia/author/kresentiamadina/
    Sustainable Soil Management Guidelines for Better Soil Health
  • Kresentia Madina
    https://greennetwork.asia/author/kresentiamadina/
    Modern Slavery in the Energy Sector: The Unintended Cost of Decarbonization
  • Kresentia Madina
    https://greennetwork.asia/author/kresentiamadina/
    H2Grow Helps Bring Hydroponics Farming to Vulnerable Communities

Continue Reading

Previous: Decarbonization in Southeast Asia Has Targets Yet Lacks Actions
Next: Founder & CEO Waste4Change MB Junerosano: Improving Responsible Waste Management in Indonesia

Related Stories

a person holding up a “No Justice No Peace” sign in the middle of a crowd Looking Closer to Human Rights Issues
  • Brief
  • Featured

Looking Closer to Human Rights Issues

by Kresentia Madina December 8, 2023
several cyclists sharing lanes with motor vehicle Improving Safe Cycling Lanes for Sustainable Urban Mobility
  • Brief
  • Featured

Improving Safe Cycling Lanes for Sustainable Urban Mobility

by Abul Muamar December 7, 2023
a model of buildings with planet earth in the background Sustainable Built Environment: What makes a net-zero building?
  • Brief
  • Featured

Sustainable Built Environment: What makes a net-zero building?

by Nazalea Kusuma December 6, 2023
a photo of a wide land, half brown soil and half green grass Sustainable Soil Management Guidelines for Better Soil Health
  • Brief
  • Featured

Sustainable Soil Management Guidelines for Better Soil Health

by Kresentia Madina December 5, 2023
planes at changi airport Singapore during daytime Is Singapore Ready for Sustainable Aviation Fuel?
  • Featured
  • News

Is Singapore Ready for Sustainable Aviation Fuel?

by Nazalea Kusuma December 4, 2023
a wheelchair with shadow The Struggle of People with Disabilities in Gaza, Palestine
  • Brief
  • Featured

The Struggle of People with Disabilities in Gaza, Palestine

by Nazalea Kusuma December 1, 2023
  • Latest
  • Popular
  • Partner
  • a person holding up a “No Justice No Peace” sign in the middle of a crowd Looking Closer to Human Rights Issues
    • Brief
    • Featured

    Looking Closer to Human Rights Issues

  • several cyclists sharing lanes with motor vehicle Improving Safe Cycling Lanes for Sustainable Urban Mobility
    • Brief
    • Featured

    Improving Safe Cycling Lanes for Sustainable Urban Mobility

  • a model of buildings with planet earth in the background Sustainable Built Environment: What makes a net-zero building?
    • Brief
    • Featured

    Sustainable Built Environment: What makes a net-zero building?

  • a photo of a wide land, half brown soil and half green grass Sustainable Soil Management Guidelines for Better Soil Health
    • Brief
    • Featured

    Sustainable Soil Management Guidelines for Better Soil Health

  • planes at changi airport Singapore during daytime Is Singapore Ready for Sustainable Aviation Fuel?
    • Featured
    • News

    Is Singapore Ready for Sustainable Aviation Fuel?

  • The green landscape of Semakau Island in Singapore Semakau Island, the Green Landfill in Singapore
    • Featured
    • News

    Semakau Island, the Green Landfill in Singapore

  • Indonesian spices as cultural heritage Enthusiasts Reclaim Spices’ Cultural Heritage, Launch Spice Hub Indonesia
    • Featured
    • News

    Enthusiasts Reclaim Spices’ Cultural Heritage, Launch Spice Hub Indonesia

  • illustration of National SDG tracker by Unescap UNESCAP Supports “Build Back Better” with the National SDG Tracker
    • Featured
    • News

    UNESCAP Supports “Build Back Better” with the National SDG Tracker

  • Beena Rao and Her Fight for Education for the Children of the Slums
    • Figure

    Beena Rao and Her Fight for Education for the Children of the Slums

  • Muslimat NU of Bojong-Tegal Campaigns Environmental Protection, Reduces Waste Production
    • Featured
    • News

    Muslimat NU of Bojong-Tegal Campaigns Environmental Protection, Reduces Waste Production

  • The earth Mapping a Greener Future: How EOS Data Analytics Contributes To Asia’s Environmental Conservation Efforts
    • Brief
    • Featured
    • Partner

    Mapping a Greener Future: How EOS Data Analytics Contributes To Asia’s Environmental Conservation Efforts

  • a bald man, alex waisimon, smiling at the camera with a forest in the background Alex Waisimon Dedicates Himself to Papua’s Forests and Wildlife
    • Featured
    • Figure
    • Partner

    Alex Waisimon Dedicates Himself to Papua’s Forests and Wildlife

  • a woman, Lian Gogali, is wearing a red knitted sweater on top of white outfit while standing in front of a door. Lian Gogali Brings Back Harmony in Poso with Schools of Peace
    • Featured
    • Figure
    • Partner

    Lian Gogali Brings Back Harmony in Poso with Schools of Peace

  • a woman, butet manurung, in glasses holding a blackboard with alphabets on it Butet Manurung Provides a Liberating Education for Orang Rimba, the Indigenous People of Jambi
    • Featured
    • Figure
    • Partner

    Butet Manurung Provides a Liberating Education for Orang Rimba, the Indigenous People of Jambi

  • a woman, Indah Darmastuti, sitting in front of a wall with a mirror hanging on it. Indah Darmastuti Makes Literature More Inclusive for Visually Impaired People
    • Featured
    • Figure
    • Partner

    Indah Darmastuti Makes Literature More Inclusive for Visually Impaired People

About Us

  • The Team
  • #LetterfromtheFounder
  • Press Release Guidelines
  • Op-ed Article Guidelines
  • Community Article Guidelines
  • Contributor Network
  • Senior Advisory Network
  • Youth Advisory Network
  • FAQ
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
© 2023 Green Network Asia