We were on the ground at The Economist’s 8th annual Sustainability Week, soaking up the planet-centric action and listening to some of the world’s biggest business and thought leaders speak about sustainability. What were some of the takeaways from this year’s summit?

When it comes to taking responsibility for tackling climate change, no one is exempt. Both a commitment to change and a proactive approach to sustainability are required at the individual, institutional, industrial and international levels. This past week, by hosting their 8th annual Sustainability Week in London — which Impakter attended — The Economist provided a platform for businesses in particular to discuss how they can catalyze the sustainable transition.
As UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, said in his opening keynote address at the summit, in tackling the climate crisis: “The private sector is pivotal.”
Core mission of the summit

Sustainability Week 2023 was organised by the Economist Impact division of the Economist Group, which invited over 300 expert speakers to discuss topics centered around the planet and sustainability.

Economist Impact also have their own in-house “Sustainability Project” and “change equation” to drive and create change:

“[Insight + innovation + influence] = Impact.”

Eight core topics were featured at the summit, spanning from “Green finance and investment,” “Policy regulation and reporting,” “Circularity and supply chain” and “Decarbonising business models” to “Biodiversity,” “Innovative technology,” “Social sustainability” and “Resilience and adaptation.”

What was the goal? To empower “businesses to accelerate action on sustainability.”Common threads at the summit

The summit’s agenda featured a multitude of discussions in the form of interviews, panels, fireside chats, presentations, debates and more. Of the sessions Impakter was able to participate in, discussions were interwoven with some common threads of crucial sustainability themes which perhaps reflect prominent global climate talking points at present.
A widespread shift in policy framework and legislation to drive this was called for by many speakers.

“Give recognition to the people who are doing the right thing,” said Andrea Meza Murillo, Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), in a session on sustainable food systems.
In a talk focused on adaptation vs. mitigation, Steve Kenzie, Executive Director at the UN Global Compact Network UK, highlighted the need to prioritise both strategies in addressing the crisis, stating that “climate adaptation cannot be the ‘poor cousin’ of climate mitigation.”

And Andrea Meza Murillo of the UNCCD highlighted the need to focus on gender equality in building sustainable food systems, as “half of farmers are women but very few can own land.”

Here is a quick rundown of some of the recurring talking points at the talks were attended. READ FURTHER FROM THE SOUCE ABOVE