Transforming Markets
The economic landscape is transforming – and fast.
Today’s economic models are unsustainable. They are being disrupted by climate and nature risks, new technologies and shifting geopolitics.
This is reshaping the competitive landscape for business:
- On the one hand, a stalled transition to sustainable economies will leave businesses exposed to accelerating risk and market chaos
- On the other, companies risk being outcompeted if transition accelerates faster than they are able to respond. There will be huge innovation and business growth in areas including clean energy, energy efficiency and grid resilience, resource productivity and sustainable food.
It is in businesses' own interests to both accelerate the transition and to innovate and position themselves to compete within it.
The challenge is one of pace – of driving change within market structures that are often a barrier to, rather than an enabler of, innovation and investment.
Markets continue to externalise environmental and social costs, prioritise short-term returns and undervalue investment in the future. These factors create a competitive disadvantage for forward-looking firms.
It’s in business’s interests to fix them rather than sitting back and waiting for commercially viable transition pathways to emerge. Hope is not a strategy. A pathway to sustainable value creation and a level playing field for action won’t emerge until business and investors build it.
This will require:
- Business action to drive market reform - companies building the capability and leadership to move beyond incremental change to anticipating and actively shaping market shifts to create long-term value and competitive advantage
- Rewiring the financial system to enable change – empowered finance leaders working to drive change in policies, products and market sentiment to ensure that finance is channelled to support a sustainable economy
- Transforming systems and sectors - radical public-private collaborations to accelerate and scale sustainability-led innovation and promote resilience across food, built environment, energy, health, manufacturing and mobility.
Our Transforming Markets campaign supports businesses and financial institutions to work effectively and strategically to drive market-wide change, demonstrating that transition is not only possible – it is already underway.
CISL's latest insights for leaders
Competing in the Age of Disruption publication
A CISL Business Briefing setting out the pathway to achieve and accelerate a market-wide transition.
Competing in the Age of Disruption webinar
Hear Lindsay Hooper outline the key priorities to drive market change that incentivises bold sustainability leadership and punishes inaction.
Survival of the Fittest: From ESG to Competitive Sustainability
Lindsay Hooper and CISL Fellow, Paul Gilding, argue it’s time to move from putting ‘sustainability thinking’ into business to putting ‘business thinking’ into sustainability in the first Transforming Markets publication.
CISL’s 2024 Competitive Sustainability Index: Shaping a new model of European competitiveness ‘Beyond Draghi’
Following the Draghi Report in Europe, our updated index assesses the EU’s competitive performance in the clean transition and spotlights key areas for improvement.
Coming soon:
Rewiring Finance report
CISL opinion pieces
With America hostile to multilateralism, G20 president South Africa should forge closer ties with Europe
CISL Africa's Sikho Luthango writes about how G20 is facing a crisis, due to the United States’ newfound hostility to multilateralism and the holder of the G20 presidency, South Africa.
The dangers of ditching Europe’s Green Deal
Remaining competitive is fundamental to Europe’s future. And implementing the European Green Deal is the best mechanism to get there. CISL's CEO, Lindsay Hooper, and the CEO of the We Mean Business Coalition, María Mendiluce, explain.
On conflict, critical minerals and the need for renewed global leadership
Sibusiso Nkomo, Africa programme manager at CISL, explains how the regional crisis around critical minerals sourcing in the DRC reflects deeper global problems as demand for these materials increases.
Stand up for the future we want
Writing in Sustainable Views, CISL's CEO, Lindsay Hooper, explains why embedding sustainability in national and global security strategies will increase military and environmental resilience.
Sustainability is under unprecedented attack. Here’s how we can fight back
Those working for a sustainable future are under attack. We need a new strategy – fast. CISL's Chief Systems Change Officer, Eliot Whittington, writes.
How businesses can escape the sustainability trap
CISL's CEO, Lindsay Hooper, says it is time to reframe sustainability as a save-ourselves imperative.
Current markets don’t fully value sustainability – but sustainability entrepreneurs can’t wait for this to change
James Cole, Chief Innovation Officer at CISL, reflects on the importance of innovators in helping to build the markets we need for a more sustainable and equitable future.
How we work with you
A strategic approach from business is needed that supports government and sector-wide action, while also building organisational capability to compete in more sustainable markets. Using our expertise and experience, we help businesses and leaders through five key areas:
- Insight: To fully understand the key sustainability challenges and provide pathways to address them
- Advisory: We help organisations build long-term resilience, gain competitive advantage and identify new opportunities for value creation
- Education: Build the leadership, credibility and organisational capability to lead change at scale with our educational courses
- Innovation: Develop innovative new strategies, solutions and business models that are both sustainable and commercially competitive
- Engagement: Collaborate with leaders to build support for system-change, lobby governments and develop policy to facilitate the transition.
Leadership in practice – our programmes and services
Aligning organisational strategy with long-term value creation
CISL's customised education and advisory services support organisations to develop impactful organisational strategies, co-owned across leadership teams, and the internal capacity to deliver them.
Our Innovation team helps you to develop and scale sustainable innovation solutions by connecting innovators, corporate partners, systems change experts and industry leaders.
CISL’s e-learning courses support you in the transition of your organisational strategy and culture, by providing a common framework of sustainability knowledge and ambition across teams.
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