4/7 - Sustainable Leadership - EU Elections

“We need renewed leadership that gives orientation, restores trust, and drives positive action for a net-positive future.” This is one of the most relevant quotes in the “Mainstreaming Sustainable Leadership Report,” a work led by the CEC European Managers through the European project Sustainable Leaders.

The project revealed that while most European managers (about 60%) find sustainability practices important or very important, only 32% think they have enough sustainability skills.

To remedy this gap, CEC European Managers works intensively to influence European policymaking.

In that sense, Torkild Justesen, Secretary General of CEC European Managers and responsible for the Sustainable Leaders report, claimed that “We need leaders and managers that set a sustainable direction and embrace the green transition.”

60% of European leaders find sustainability practices important or very important, but only 32% think they have enough skills.
Sustainable Ledearship in Europe, Research Report, CEC European Managers

The century of sustainability

From the organisation of international conferences and summits, such as the COPs, to the nature conservation NGOs’, or scientific research, sustainability is undoubtedly the great theme of our time.

Worldwide, people are organising themselves to protect and rewild nature, tackling biodiversity loss and trying to slow down the 6th mass extinction of species.

While initiatives like Fridays for Future are mobilizing the youth, others, such as the Planetary Health Alliance in the United States or the Climate Action Network in the European Union, provide scientific evidence to decision-makers and engage local communities.

In the same way, European bodies such as EUMETSAT—in charge of monitoring the climate through the European network of meteorological satellites—are seeing the effects of global warming every day.

Scientists working with Earth observation data claim that, nowadays, “no climate events are unrelated to global warming or the effects of climate change.”

The same is true for policymaking and business models, as no economic or social policy can currently be truly effective without considering sustainability.

“We need leaders who can act, dare, and take a sustainable direction without hesitation”
7 Managers Priorities for the 2024 European Parliament Elections

Adopting policies that take implications for health and the environment into account yields positive results for society’s health and well-being in the broadest sense.

We all know, for example, that reducing emissions from industry improves environmental standards and air quality and reduces diseases caused by air pollution, such as cancer and heart disease.

In the discussion paper “Planetary Health: A holistic vision for people and the planet,” published and distributed by the European Policy Center and led by Danielle Brady, climate, health, and policy experts provide evidence on how creating economies and leading organisations designed to operate within planetary boundaries and aligned to social needs is economically beneficial.

With that in mind, managers and leaders want to put this issue on the 2024 European Parliament‘s agenda.

A key priority for the EU Elections

“We need leaders who can act, dare, and take a sustainable direction without hesitation” is one of the powerful claims from our Manifesto.

CEC European Managers believes that we, as leaders, are in a key position to make businesses fit for the future because we need economic activities that integrate environmental issues into their successful models.

More in detail, the five main areas and skills we should be developing as managers are:

Sustainable Risk and Issues Management
Stakeholder Management
Strategic Differentiation and Shared Value Creation
Sustainable Business Model Innovation
Managing Change of Sustainable Business

Sustainable leadership is one key element in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and fulfilling the EU Green Deal.

The European Commission adopted a set of proposals to make the EU’s climate, energy, transport, and taxation policies fit for reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels (more information on Delivering the European Green Deal) but recent events such as the violent demonstrations led by farmers in Brussels or the concerns raised by some politicians and even governments calling for a “regulatory pause” are a danger to the EU sustainable compromise.

That being said, and while concerns are raised about the implementation and enforcement of the EU Green Deal, leaders are working hard in the public and private sectors to measure, account for, and report on their sustainability impact (Triple Bottom Line performance) and seize the opportunities for sustainable business models and product and service innovation.

We know how important it is to act. The first step is to endorse our campaign #UseYourLeadership and vote at the European Parliament elections.

Finally, European countries and economies have the necessary tools and skills to make the transition possible. We know that investing in sustainable leadership is more cost-efficient than maintaining the status quo.

Therefore, today’s challenge is to mobilise the available resources for change to happen on the ground.