Odezva na nedávnou UN Food konferenci a další aktuální systémová témata – energie, potraviny, sociální koheze – včetně Vize 2050. Nadcházející říjnová výroční konference WBCSD se zmíněnými tématy a rolí Světové rady bude tradičně zabývat.

This week was a historic week. For the first time ever, global leaders met virtually at the UN to discuss food at a systemic level. I was honored to contribute to the Food Systems Summit on behalf of the private sector.

This Summit wasn’t just about food; there is no system where the climate emergency, the loss of nature and mounting inequality come together as they do in the food system. Incremental change is no longer enough, a wholesale transformation of our food systems is now urgent and critical to deliver the SDGs and systemic change. Creating equitable, net-zero and nature-positive food systems that can nourish all people is everyone’s business! Next week, we will publish an insight article on this Summit and the key takeaways for business.

With the UN Food Systems Summit just behind us and the Climate COP-26 conference around the corner, we are all well aware of the urgency that the climate emergency, the loss of nature and the mounting inequality are posing to business’ license to operate and a safe operating space for humanity. And this was emphasized by the speech from UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday, in which he sounded the alarm over all three challenges (and some more). A stark reminder that we are running out of time and only collective action can get us to the speed and scale required.

Business has a leading role to play in transforming the way we produce and consume our food, determine the type of energy we use, offer solutions for the way we live, work and transport ourselves and the materials we use and waste. It will take system transformations to meet the challenges. It needs collaboration and ambition, and it needs tough decisions now.

WBCSD has laid out the systems transformations in Vision 2050: Time to Transform. To move to a world where more than 9 billion people, will all live well, within planetary boundaries, requires companies – like yours – to set ambitious net-zero and nature positive targets and more importantly put in place operating plans to deliver these targets and create transformational collaboration across value chains.

WBCSD is reshaping its next five-year strategy in alignment with Vision 2050, which we will present to you during the Council Meeting on 26 October. As the premier global business and sustainability platform, we bring together the world’s leading sustainable businesses to work together to accelerate the system transformations needed for a zero-carbon, nature-positive, equitable future.

Our strategy will have three pillars:

1. It is critical that in the current decade, all companies formulate action plans to address the three globally pressing challenges. Through the Imperatives: Climate Action, Nature Action and Equity Action, WBCSD will support business in formulating their actions focused on how to decarbonize, how to become nature positive and how to contribute to an equitable society.
2. Inevitably, the Capital Market engagement for business will radically change in the current decade. Changes in Governance through frameworks like TCFD, standardization of ESG disclosures through the ISSB and development of True Value approaches, will integrate the impacts on Natural and Social Capital into the cost of capital for companies. Through the Redefining Value Program and our CFO Network, WBCSD will support our member companies in leading this transformation of Capitalism.
3. Vision 2050: Time to Transform made clear that business has a leading role to play in the required system transformations through transforming the value chains from raw material to end-use and waste management. Through the Pathways WBCSD will bring its member companies together around focused collaborative solutions in the following value-chains: Food, Energy, Products & Materials, Mobility and the Built Environment.

We have put together a portfolio of projects for 2022 in our Member survey (open till 1 October) that reflect these three pillars:

• Imperatives to support your company in the journey to decarbonize, become nature positive or improve the impact on equity,
• Redefining Value and the CFO Network to stay on top of the changing capital market appreciation of your performance,
• And Pathways to bring together the key players from across your value chain to drive collective solutions to scale.

2022 is also the year that the new WBCSD membership criteria will come into effect. To further support your company to meet these criteria we have included in the Member survey a new initiative called the Membership Mobilization Hub. This free-of-charge service will be a valuable source of knowledge available to you.

I hope we can continue to count on your company’s engagement because we all know the time for action and figuring out how to get it all done is now. We will give it our everything to help you chart the journey.

We have an important opportunity to do so with the upcoming WBCSD Council Meeting on 26-28 October 2021, including speakers like Mark Carney. In case you haven’t registered yet, I am pleased to invite you to join this fully online meeting.

Thank you and I hope you will enjoy a good weekend.

Warm regards,

Peter Bakker
President & CEO
Bakker@wbcsd.org
Maison de la Paix, Chemin Eugène-Rigot 2B, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland