Contains inspiration and recommendations for Boards of Directors on adoption and oversight of corporate sustainability.

Global trends like climate change and population growth, as well as hyper-transparency and growing consumer concern about the social and environmental impact of corporations, are currently profoundly reshaping the business environment. For companies to succeed in the 21st century, it becomes incumbent upon Boards to broaden their agendas to include the oversight of corporate sustainability, defined as the company’s delivery of long-term value to society in financial, social, environmental and ethical terms. Board Adoption and Oversight is therefore a key element of corporate leadership as defined by the Blueprint for Corporate Sustainability Leadership, which was launched by the UN Global Compact in 2010 as a culmination of its first ten years of experience.