Vision 2050 and the case for a refresh
In 2010, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) released Vision 2050, a landmark piece of work that laid out a pathway to a world in which nine billion people are able to live well, within the limits of the planet by mid-century.
Although many of the concepts at the core of Vision 2050 have stood the test of time, inevitably, a number of topics have either increased in importance or emerged as critical new areas within the sustainable development landscape and beyond. Furthermore, the world in which business is operating continues to change: social tensions and environmental impacts are on the rise, fundamental questions are being asked about the role of business, and the economy as a whole, and the COVID-19 pandemic has brought a level global disruption unprecedented in modern times.
At this critical juncture, WBCSD’s Vision 2050 Refresh project is bringing our original vision up to date and restating the baseline for business action and leadership for the decade to come. We are working to make the Sustainable Development Goals more clearly actionable for the private sector, building an inspirational agenda for business, and ensuring that transformation in support of sustainability is at the core of businesses’ response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Areas of exploration
Making progress towards our Vision 2050 demands several critical and complex systemic transformations. As part of our efforts to refresh our Vision, we are exploring a series of key questions:
News & insights
Resources
Companies
External Review Committee
- Seema Arora, Deputy Director-General, Confederation of Indian Industry
- Guillermo Castilleja, Special Advisor Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
- John Elkington, Founder & Chief Pollinator, Volans
- Naoko Ishii, EVP, University of Tokyo Prof. Institute for Future Initiatives & Director, Center for Global Commons
- Marco Lambertini, Director General, WWF International
- Jane Nelson, Director CR Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School
- Cherie Nursalim, Vice Chairman, Giti Group
- Mukund Rajan, Former Chairman, Tata Global Sustainability Council
- Caroline Rees, President, Shift
- Johan Rockström, Director, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
- Jeffrey Sachs, President, SDSN
- Andrew Steer, President & CEO, WRI
- Gunhild Stordalen, Founder & Executive Chair, EAT
- Kazuhiko Takeuchi, President, IGES
- Nigel Topping, High Level Climate Action Champion for COP26
- Dominic Waughray, MD, Centre for Global, Public Goods, WEF
Contacts
Filippo Veglio
Managing Director
Julian Hill-Landolt
Project Director
James Gomme
Project Director
Uta Jungermann
Project Manager
Florian Micco
Project Associate
Linden Edgell
Regional Engagement Lead
Jacqui Machin
Transformation Enablers Lead
Robin Nelson
Operating Landscape Lead
Jacqueline Pieters
Finance & Investment Lead
Email us at vision2050@wbcsd.org