ERM’s Sustainability Institute publishes a trends outlook every quarter, providing a concise, regular outline of the latest sustainability issues impacting the private sector. These updates provide essential reading for any business leader looking to understand the strategic implications of today’s sustainability trends.
Our most recent report focused on four key topics. First, our team discuss the narrowing pathway towards net zero emissions by 2050, which is threatened by rising emissions and challenging targets. However, progress with expanding carbon pricing and corporate climate disclosure mandates offer some hope that ambition and action will converge soon.
We then report on the release of the final TNFD recommendations, which align with existing disclosures to help companies assess and disclose their nature-related impacts. Beyond TNFD, other nature-related support for companies is emerging, with the aim of halting and reversing nature loss by 2030. These efforts are a needed catalyst to address the critical shortcomings of the corporate nature landscape.
Following our focus on nature, we progress to human rights challenges: record global temperatures pose life-threatening impacts, especially for those facing inequalities, and past and present human rights issues present companies with complicated questions, increasingly so in the face of war in the Middle East and Ukraine.
Finally, the report shifts to sustainable supply chains, a major focus following years of disruptions and with increased efforts to reduce Scope 3 emissions. This shift towards sustainability is especially evident in major trade hubs such as Hong Kong: The Chief Executive’s 2023 policy address includes developing a green maritime fuel bunkering centre in Hong Kong, promoting the supply of sustainable aviation fuel, and supporting the green transformation of public land transport.
Full report: https://www.erm.com/globalassets/sustainability.com/reports/trends-2024/ermsi_annual-trends-report_2024.pdf