Report Report: Corporate conservation, youth and disrupting luxury
A monthly wrap-up of recent research on sustainable business and clean technology reports you need to know. Read More

The Report Report is a monthly wrap-up of recent research on sustainable business and clean technology, produced by Corporate Eco Forum, a by-invitation membership organization comprised of large, global companies that demonstrate a serious commitment at the senior executive level to sustainability as a business strategy issue.
Bridging low-carbon technologies (CDP) assesses 22 companies in the capital goods sector on their business readiness for the transition to a low-carbon economy. Key findings include:
- Capital goods companies are identifying and investing in transformative and radical technologies, such as microgrids, hybrid renewables and energy storage.
- Schneider, ABB, Mitsubishi Electric, Siemens, Honeywell, Vestas, CNHI, Kubota and Hitachi Construction received high scores.
- The main transition risk for the sector is managing emissions down the value chain; Scope 3 accounts for over 90 percent of sector emissions.
- Electrification is identified as the biggest opportunity for the capital goods sector, with microgrids and energy storage systems ranked as the technologies with the greatest potential for green economic transformation.
Destination Zero: Seven Years of Detoxing the Clothing Industry (Greenpeace) analyzes progress companies have made against commitments to cut hazardous chemicals from their clothing production by 2020, as part of the Greenpeace Detox campaign. Key findings include:
- 100 percent of Detox-committed brands are tackling the elimination of the 11 priority groups of hazardous chemicals identified by Greenpeace and regularly report on their presence in wastewater from supplier’s mills.
- 72 percent of Detox-committed brands are working towards disclosing their supplier lists down to Tier2/Tier3 wet processing, where the biggest use of chemicals and most water pollution occurs.
- 72 percent report having achieved the complete elimination of PFCs from products, while the remaining 28 percent are making good progress towards elimination.
Disrupting Luxury: Creating Resilient Businesses in Times of Rapid Change (BSR) explores how 15 luxury companies plan to address three disruptive forces in their sector: climate change and biodiversity loss; new technology and automation; and the rise of economic inequality. The reports sets out three recommendations for luxury companies: Build resilience by engaging in the circular economy; build a strong, relevant brand by contributing a positive impact on society; and build trust by strongly articulating value to all stakeholders.
Enhancing Habitat Connectivity Through Corporate Conservation (Wildlife Habitat Council) demonstrates how companies are engaging in ecological connectivity initiatives to reduce fragmentation — one of the biggest threats to biodiversity across the planet. The report features case studies from Boeing, CEMEX, Exelon and more.
Navigating a New Climate (U.N. Environment Finance Initiative and Acclimatise) sets out a methodology for banks to assess physical-related risk and opportunities associated with a changing climate. The methodology is based on input from a working group of 16 global banks piloting the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) Recommendations.
Opportunity Agenda (America’s Pledge initiative) lays out 10 opportunities for near-term, nonfederal climate action:
- Doubling down on renewable energy
- Accelerating retirement of coal power
- Retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency
- Electrifying building energy use
- Accelerating electric vehicle adoption
- Phasing out super-polluting hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
- Preventing methane leaks at the wellhead
- Reducing methane leaks in cities
- Reducing land sector carbon emissions and increasing terrestrial sequestration
- Establishing and expanding state and regional carbon markets
Transforming Business for a Sustainable Economy (Bain & Company) analyzes survey responses from 297 global companies to better understand the current state of corporate sustainability and how it will evolve over the next five years. Key findings include:
- 81 percent of companies stated sustainability is more important to their business today than it was five years ago, and 85 percent believe that it will be even more important in five years.
- Only 4 percent of companies surveyed feel that they have fully succeeded in achieving their sustainability goals; 47 percent of companies stated they failed in achieving their sustainability goals.
- The percentage of companies with a “truly transformational” sustainability ambition is expected to nearly triple over the next five years (from 9 percent to 26 percent).
- 90 percent of companies expect that their core business model will need to change in order to operate in a truly sustainable economy, and 38 percent of companies feel that their core business model will need to change radically.
Youth Solutions Report (Sustainable Development Solutions Network — Youth) showcases 50 youth-led projects and ideas linked to one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The projects and ideas address clean energy, education, digitalization, e-participation, access to healthcare, ecosystem restoration, sustainable agriculture, waste and more.
