ABOUT US
WBCSD is the premier global, CEO-led community of over 200 of the world’s leading sustainable businesses working collectively to accelerate the system transformations needed for a net zero, nature positive, and more equitable future.
We do this by engaging executives and sustainability leaders from business and elsewhere to share practical insights on the obstacles and opportunities we currently face in tackling the integrated climate, nature and inequality sustainability challenge; by co-developing “how-to” CEO-guides from these insights; by providing science-based target guidance including standards and protocols; and by developing tools and platforms to help leading businesses in sustainability drive integrated actions to tackle climate, nature and inequality challenges across sectors and geographical regions.
Our member companies come from all business sectors and all major economies, representing a combined revenue of more than USD $8.5 trillion and 19 million employees. Our global network of almost 70 national business councils gives our members unparalleled reach across the globe. Since 1995, WBCSD has been uniquely positioned to work with member companies along and across value chains to deliver impactful business solutions to the most challenging sustainability issues.
Together, we are the leading voice of business for sustainability, united by our vision of a world in which 9+ billion people are living well, within planetary boundaries, by mid-century.
ABOUT VISION 2050
WBCSD first introduced its vision in a landmark 2010 report. It was a collaborative effort by 29 WBCSD member companies from 14 industries, reflecting insights from more than 200 additional companies and external stakeholders in 20 countries. It explored what a world in which more than 9 billion people are able to live well, within planetary boundaries by 2050, would look like, how such a world could be created, and the role business should play in bringing it about.
The report outlined a pathway to achieve Vision 2050 that included two timeframes for action. 2010-2020 would be the “turbulent teens”, a formative period of dynamism and energy during which new ideas and approaches would emerge, compete and evolve, ultimately paving the way for “transformation time” from 2020-2050 – in which hard-won ideas and relationships would transform our businesses, economies, and societies at scale.
Today, it is clear that the turbulent teens aren’t over. Transformation is eluding us. And while many of the building blocks now exist, in the form of frameworks such as the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals, change is not happening at the speed or scale required.
As unprecedented global risks continue to build and we approach key ecological and social tipping points, we have a unique but rapidly closing window of opportunity for action over the course of the next decade. There is momentum to build on, but we must accelerate our efforts.
