Boards must put sustainability at the top of their agenda to thrive

Universities have an important role to play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, but with major gaps in progress, institutions need to build partnerships, including in research, regionally, with industry and with the community, a regional Asian policy dialogue on higher education and the SDGs has heard.  The policy dialogue on the contribution of higher education partnerships towards achieving the SDGs, held from 29-31 March in Bangkok, Thailand, was organised by the European Union’s Support to Higher Education in the ASEAN Region (EU-SHARE) programme.

Sustainability is one of the greatest transformation challenges of our generation. The stakes have never been higher, with less than a decade to deliver on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. On the flip side, the opportunities to harness technology, innovation and a shared commitment for a more sustainable world has never been greater.  Business ESG performance not measuring up to reality.  Why step up our game now on sustainability? For one thing, organizations are facing compounding pressure from a range of stakeholders, including investors, consumers, regulatory agencies, and employees to demonstrate Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance alongside financial performance.  Consumers are making more sustainable purchasing choices and investors are putting greater weight on a company’s ESG score. They want to see the data to back up an organization’s sustainability credentials.