People
around the world are demanding more progress on sustainability and social
efforts and are looking to businesses to step up, according to a new study by
Oracle and Pamela Rucker, CIO Advisor, and Instructor for Harvard Professional
Development. The “No Planet B”
study of more than 11,000 consumers and business leaders across 15 countries
found that people are fed up with the lack of progress society is making
towards sustainability and social initiatives, want businesses to turn talk
into action, and believe technology can help businesses succeed where people
have failed.
People
from Asia-Pacific and Japan (JAPAC) want businesses to step up sustainability
and social efforts
The
events of the past two years have put a spotlight on sustainability and social
efforts, with people worldwide disappointed with the lack of progress and
calling for businesses to step up. Below are some key findings from the JAPAC
region.
·
95 percent of people believe
sustainability and social factors are more important than ever and 81 percent
said the events over the past two years have caused them to change their
actions.
·
94 percent respondents believe
society has not made enough progress. 40 percent attribute the lack of progress
to people being too busy with other priorities, 43 percent believe it is the
result of more emphasis on short-term profits over long-term benefits, and 37
percent believe people are too lazy or selfish to help save the planet.
·
50 percent believe businesses can
make more meaningful change on sustainability and social factors than
individuals or governments alone.
·
75 percent are frustrated and fed
up with the lack of progress by businesses to-date, and 91 percent believe it’s
not enough for businesses to say they’re prioritizing Environmental, Social,
and Governance (ESG) – they need
to see action and proof.
·
89 percent believe businesses would
make more progress towards sustainability and social goals with the help of AI,
and 66 percent even believe bots will succeed where humans have failed.
“The
events of the past two years have put sustainability and social initiatives
under the microscope and people are demanding material change. While there are
challenges to tackling these issues, businesses have an immense opportunity to
change the world for the better,” said
Pamela Rucker, CIO Advisor and Instructor for Harvard Professional Development.
“The
results show that people are more likely to do business with and work for
organizations that act responsibly toward our society and the environment. This
is an opportune moment. While thinking has evolved, technology has as well, and
it can play a key role in overcoming many of the obstacles that have held
progress back.”
“It's
never been more critical for businesses to invest in sustainability and ESG
initiatives, as people don’t just want to hear about it –
they’re looking for decisive action and are demanding more transparency and
tangible results,” said Juergen Lindner, senior vice president
and CMO, Global Marketing SaaS, Oracle. “Business
leaders understand the importance, yet often have the erroneous assumption that
they need to prioritize either profits or sustainability. The truth is this is
not a zero-sum game. The technology that can eliminate all the obstacles to ESG
efforts is now available, and organizations that get this right can not only
support their communities and the environment, but also realize significant
revenue gains, cost savings, and other benefits that impact the bottom line.”
“Given
Asia Pacific’s large share of the global population and emissions, climate
vulnerabilities, and technological and financial strengths, the global fight
against climate change will be won or lost in Asia Pacific. It’s imperative
that we take action on climate change and businesses have a narrowing window to
lead the way,” said Will Symons, Asia Pacific Sustainability
and Climate Lead, Deloitte. “It is great
to see organizations like Oracle helping businesses to step up and prioritize
sustainability. The study results show people want businesses to prioritize
progress on sustainability and are willing to reward those who lead. To do this
organizations must re-think how they use technology to shift from ambition to
action on sustainability commitments while ensuring transparency and accountability
to all stakeholders.”
Read
the full press release www.oracle.com/noplanetb.
Methodology
Research
findings are based on a survey conducted by Savanta, Inc. between February 25 –
March 14, 2022 with 11,005 global respondents from 15 countries (United States,
United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, France, China, India, Australia,
Japan, Singapore, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Brazil,
and Mexico). 4,000 respondents were included from JAPAC region. The survey
explored attitudes and behaviors of consumers and business leaders towards
sustainability and social efforts along with the role and expectations of
artificial intelligence (AI) and robots in environmental, societal, and
governance (ESG) efforts.
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