Over half of the world's CEOs make sustainability issues a priority. This shows the last quarterly EY research, conducted among 1200 CEOs worldwide. By comparison, only 28% of institutional investors reported the same.
"But this disparity, which prioritizes short-term financial gains at the expense of faster achievement of sustainability goals, may be short-sighted," the report states.
Achieving sustainability goals can be challenging – especially in a tough, cost-focused market. The report shows that better collaboration between corporations, investors and policymakers could create a new wave of initiatives that could help accelerate the path to net zero and unlock a more sustainable future.
Accents
The results also show that CEOs and institutional investors have a positive outlook for M&A in 2024, despite a weak 2023 in terms of deals.
More CEOs are looking to acquire and even more are planning to sell assets. The majority of institutional investors (61%) expect a stable deal environment, with a third (34%) expecting an acceleration of deals.
Company owners are prioritizing AI transformation for productivity now, but are aiming for net zero and new revenue streams in the longer term.
The joint efforts of businesses, investors and politicians can drive a rapid transition to a sustainable future. But when they look to the near future, their focus shifts to achieving net zero by decarbonizing their business and creating new revenue streams.
Aligning profit with broader ambitions reflects the need for CEOs to both create financial value for shareholders and respond to public demands to accelerate the path to sustainability.