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Should Companies Still Make Their Sustainability Goals Public?
In the latest episode of "What the...?," we asked Laura Gitman, chief impact officer of BSR, whether sustainability goals are still the right tool for driving corporate progress, if companies should make their goals public, or if it's time to rethink the model entirely.
(Graphic: Fantastic/Adobe Stock)
Most top companies now set sustainability goals: 70 percent of the world's largest 500 companies have climate goals on the books, and more than 95 percent issue sustainability reports. But shifting political winds have some secretly wondering: Is it still worth it?
“We're hearing this question a lot from our members as they perceive more risk from all sides," says Laura Gitman, chief impact officer of the sustainable business network and consultancy BSR. "The concern around goals is certainly elevated from five years ago when everybody was setting a round of goals in 2020."
As companies near completion on their last set of goals for 2025, many will fall short — further calling the future of corporate goal-setting into question. In the latest episode of "What the...?," a new video series co-hosted by TriplePundit and our parent company 3BL, we spoke with Gitman about whether sustainability goals are still the right tool for driving corporate progress, if companies should make their goals public, or if it's time to rethink the model entirely.
"Because a lot of goals are expiring in 2025, we have companies really thinking about what is that next iteration," said Gitman, who co-authored this expansive article on the topic for BSR. "I would hate to see them move away from goals entirely — I don't think that's the right lesson to be learned — but I do think it's a useful time to shift."
In particular, BSR surveyed a sampling of its more than 300 corporate members earlier this year and found something surprising. "Almost every company we talk to is shifting from aspirational to achievable," Gitman said. "It's not always as impressive. It doesn't allow you to say '100 percent' or 'zero waste,' but it's often more realistic. So, as a community, we also have to be accepting of what that goal means, why it's important to be more realistic, and then to hold everybody accountable to actually achieving it."
Check out her top four pieces of advice for companies looking to set meaningful goals for 2025 and beyond in the video below.
Mary has reported on sustainability and social impact for over a decade and now serves as executive editor of TriplePundit. She is also the general manager of TriplePundit's Brand Studio, which has worked with dozens of organizations on sustainability storytelling, and VP of content for TriplePundit's parent company 3BL.
