Leadership Steps Up

While Brussels lowers the bar on sustainability, CEOs around the world are raising it.

This week, the EU decided to scale back several sustainability requirements—a political move driven by concerns about global competitiveness and pressure from certain leaders.

Yet the latest United Nations Global Compact–Accenture 2025 CEO Study shows something striking: business leaders worldwide continue to place sustainability at the heart of their strategy.

👉 98% of CEOs say sustainability is essential for competitiveness and long‑term value creation.

👉 Even as policy slows down, they see climate action and circularity as key drivers of innovation and growth.

 

The message is clear: where policy steps back, business accelerates.

The real challenge now is turning ambition into measurable, verifiable outcomes—translating direction into action.

 

💡 Perhaps this is the moment to show that true leadership doesn’t follow the pace of politics, but sets its own.