Sustainable business in action: edie launches flagship Mission Possible 2019 report

edie has today (21 May) published its flagship 'Mission Possible: 2019' report mapping out the future of sustainable business, featuring contributions from an array of renowned sustainability pioneers including Paul Polman and Steve Howard, along with senior representatives from the likes of BT, Carlsberg, The Climate Group and We Mean Business.


Sustainable business in action: edie launches flagship Mission Possible 2019 report

The 'Mission Possible: 2019' report includes contributions from leading businesses including BT

The 42-page report, developed in association with Centrica Business Solutions, is aimed at sustainability, CSR and energy professionals who are seeking information, inspiration and advice when it comes to accelerating sustainability progress over the coming years.  

Launched on stage at the edie Live exhibition in Birmingham today, the report the result of months of exclusive interviews, extensive cross-industry research and in-depth content creation for edie’s action-focused Mission Possible campaign.

READ THE MISSION POSSIBLE: 2019 REPORT HERE

edie’s content director Luke Nicholls said: “This report’s launch couldn’t have come at a more crucial time for the world of sustainable business. School strikes and political protests continue to build momentum, and a climate emergency has just been declared by policymakers. So, Mission Possible: 2019 is all about how businesses can provide the emergency response.

“I urge sustainability, CSR and energy professionals across the country to use this report as inspiration to ramp up action across all areas of sustainable development; and to share it with others – from peers and colleagues to customers and the supply chain – to encourage them to do the same.”

Ambition into Action

Mission Possible: 2019 showcases world-leading and potentially game-changing examples of sustainability in action across the Mission Possible campaign’s five pillars: Energy, Resources, Mobility, The Built Environment and Business Leadership.

Specifically, it includes thought-leadership articles and comments from 15 individual sustainable business leaders and experts, along with input from almost 400 sustainability, CSR and energy professionals gathered from three in-depth surveys carried out over the past six months.

It begins with a rousing foreword from sustainability leader and ex-Unilever chief executive Paul Polman, who stresses the crucial importance of courageous leadership and collaboration to turn ambitions into actions. Polman writes: “The theme of edie’s purpose-driven campaign and 2019 report perfectly captures the crux of what we have long-suspected: that creating a more sustainable future is still Mission Possible and we must now turn our ambitions into actions to drive transformative progress.”

The report goes on to showcase a range of contributed articles from leading businesses who have committed to science-based targets, net-zero emissions, and/or the full implementation of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – contributors include BT, Carlsberg, Interface, Landsec, Berkeley Group, and UPS.

Additional comments are then provided by the leaders of industry groups representing each of the Mission Possible campaign’s five pillars – including We Mean Business co-chair Steve Howard, The Climate Group chief executive Helen Clarkson; UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) chief executive Julie Hirigoyen; and Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP) managing director Andy Eastlake.

Campaign for change

Today’s unveling of the Mission Possible: 2019 report marks an exciting next phase for edie’s Mission Possible sustainable business campaign, which officially launched this time last year.

The campaign’s success has centred on the growth of the Mission Possible Pledge Wall, which showcases the growing list of sustainable business commitments being made under the five campaign pillars. To date, 106 pledges have been posted on the Wall from some of the UK’s biggest businesses.

Through the campaign, edie has also agreed an ongoing partnership with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) for its Green GB Week campaign. For Green GB Week 2019, edie will once again be encouraging business pledges and helping to deliver a number of associated events.

As a result, Mission Possible has just been shortlisted as a finalist in the Campaign of the Year category of the Press and Publishers Association (PPA) Awards, with the winning campaign set to be revealed in June. 

Download your copy of the Mission Possible: 2019 report for free, here.

edie staff

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