Over the last couple of years a plethora of pledges (pun intended!) has arisen in the sustainability/ESG space. Both, on executive as well as on non-executive/board level. Examples of which there would be:
- The UN’s Race to Zero Campaign and its sub-pledges, such as the one for retail or fashion
- The WEF’s Climate Action Forum and Initiative out of which came the Chapter Zero efforts for boards
- The Fashion Pact launched by Kering and the French Government
- The Climate Pledge by the Climate Pledge Fund
- The Plastics Pact by the Ellen McArthur Foundation
- The Circular Economy Pledge by the Ellen McArthur Foundation
In addition many brands and retailers have started to come up with their own proprietary pledges.
All of that is above and beyond any commitments that may come out of signing up to Science-Based Targets (SBTs) or anything like it.
Do we need all these pledges? Do they really make a difference?
While such pledges are a step into the right directions – after all: only a couple of years ago all of these would have been unfathomable – the general consensus is (e.g. see here and here): they lack teeth, and they lack actual results and impact. In other words: much of it are big words, good marketing – and very little action (at least of yet) behind it.
And that’s the weird thing about it: Pledges intend to drive change the wrong way around. The mechanism namely works by putting marketing and public image ahead of actual deliverables: Commit people (read: companies) publicly, then hope they will actually move in accordance to the pledge/commitment, and then only hold them to account if and when they do not delivery. If anyone remembers that is.
It is a mechanism that sadly works only too well, as public perception and recognition seems to be a key driver for most corporates and individuals. Rather than scientific evidence, common sense, and ‘doing the right thing’.
And yet, at this point of our global trajectory pledges are not particularly useful any more.
Only impact is.
Reduce Carbon: Where ever, whenever
The long and the short of it is, at the example of the CO2 trajectory:
Reduce carbon wherever possible. Figure out how and by when you can, by when you should and by when you must be reaching net zero. And then just get it done. Do the work – put the resources to get stuff done. Not to talk about. Do not add man power to marketing – they can cope with the extra demand somehow. But instead put it where the rubber hits the road: where experts in supply chain and product etc. are needed to understand and implement the actions required.
No matter whether you sit in operations or on the board of directors.
The Lemma always should be:
- Actions before words.
- Impact before messaging.
- Walk before talk.
- Science before marketing.
