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.