Businesses need to anticipate the financial and business risks and opportunities associated with sustainable business practices, in order to thrive in a post-pandemic world. Individuals need to be more self-aware of our day-to-day behaviours, driving demand for sustainable and responsible products and services.
Together, the private sector and civil society have the power to influence government and regulators towards responsible policies and investments that will catalyse sustainable development.
COVID-19 has caught the world unprepared, despite the repeated warnings of the scientific and medical community, causing a global health crisis while also disrupting the economy and changing our very way of life. Unfortunately, this might just be a preview of the greater challenges ahead, if the climate and environmental crises are left unchecked. A sustainable, resilient future will need businesses to re-look at the triple bottom-line – People, Planet, Profits – with a new lens, one that goes beyond a trade-off mentality, to instead using business as a force for good. Only by focusing on Recovery, Resilience, and Responsibility, will businesses and communities emerge stronger and better prepared for future challenges.