Even as more companies are adopting sustainable operating models, the rate of progress is not fast enough, and time is not enough. The progress, slowly gaining speed, almost seems futile.
On the second day of Infosys Confluence, Paul Polman, business leader, and co-author of Net Positive reflects on our journey so far, why it’s imperative to change gears and how we can do that.
Key Takeaways
It’s Time to Break Away from Traditions
Having been carbon enthusiasts for centuries, turning net-positive seems daunting. That is why we need courageous and compassionate leaders who are aware of the impact of their actions and take responsibility for it.
When Inaction Costs More
Today we are incurring costs higher than what it would take to implement the Sustainable Development Goals [SDG]. This is a collection of 17 interlinked goals adopted by the UN as a global call to action to build a prosperous world for the future.
Time is Running Out, Actions Need to Catch Up
While we are moving, we aren’t moving fast enough. Companies need to look at shareholders’ returns as a result of their actions, not as an objective. It would be short-sighted to focus on shareholders alone. The focus needs to shift to stakeholders.
Less Bad is Still Bad
As countries embrace net-positivity, most of them are committing to goals like reducing plastic and emissions. But with the climate change effects of today, this is not enough – it’s time for regenerative and restorative approaches.
I think that pause that we've had, the fact that so many things are now broken and apparent, gives us an opportunity perhaps not to just put a band-aid on there, but once and for all redesign our global economies.
