Business is engaged
Leading organizations are re-imagining and re-shaping their long-term competitive business strategies. They’re moving away from a now-outmoded view of sustainability as a compliance or reporting risk alone. The result: significant opportunities to achieve both short- and long-term value become apparent. Today, management teams are seeking to realize such potential benefits as:
- through the introduction of environmentally or socially responsible products and services; penetration of new consumer markets; and a stronger competitive position.
- through increased resource and operational efficiencies; rationalization of assets and suppliers; waste reduction; and the elimination of potential
costs of noncompliance with regulatory requirements.
- through improved transparency in identifying and managing operational events and risks; the development of appropriate and
effective responses to regulatory changes; and protection of brand value
We were pleased to have Mr. Yvo de Boer join KPMG back in July 2010 as our Special Global Advisor. Mr. de Boer brings a wealth of international expertise, diplomacy and negotiations and is considered to be one of the foremost global experts on Climate Change & Sustainability. This experience will help KPMG provide insights into the upcoming UN conference.
The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 16) in Cancun, Mexico will be taking place from November 29th to December 11th. A select group of KPMG’s Climate Change and Sustainability professionals from member firms around the globe will be on the ground in Cancun engaging with business and governmental leaders, speaking on the issues at various local events, and networking with not-for-profit and non-governmental organizations.
While climate change and sustainability issues and reporting are hot topics – the long-term issues are clear: soaring energy prices, increasing energy security risks, an exploding global population, and a scarcity of raw materials. Businesses are increasingly recognizing and addressing the impacts these issues will bring. In fact, the more forward-thinking enterprises see these trends not as threats at all, but opportunities for process improvement, cost-optimization, innovation and growth – all of which can help to respond to increasing consumer demand and generate a competitive business edge.
While broader public attention will continue to focus on a headline-making global agreement, in our view Cancun will succeed if it proves it can mobilize business and finance across both the developed and developing worlds to make coordinated action on global climate change work. Look for signs of progress in this direction.
KPMG will provide daily commentary on the events, negotiations, and decisions of COP16, visit us on our blog or Twitter.