Sustainable Energy for All: The Business Opportunity

Introduction

The findings presented in this report, and in the 19 related industry-specific reports, are the result of research, interviews, and focus groups conducted in support of Sustainable Energy for All by the United Nations Global Compact and Accenture. This collaboration with the private sector helped to identify emerging trends, best practices, and opportunity areas related to sustainable energy development. More than 70 companies across 19 industries—primarily Global Compact LEAD companies and Caring for Climate signatories—contributed to these findings.

This introductory report, “Sustainable Energy for All: The Business Opportunity,” provides an overview of the relevance of Sustainable Energy for All for business. This overview discusses the opportunities companies have to generate business value through their actions in support of Sustainable Energy for All; the priority actions that are common across industries; the key enablers of success (such as finance and policy); and the value that the Sustainable Energy for All platform can bring to the private sector. Accompanying this overview are nineteen “Industry Opportunity” reports that detail priority actions for specific sectors. Executive summaries of these nineteen reports are included at the back of this document. The priority industry actions identified do not necessarily represent every relevant action an industry can take in the area of sustainable energy; rather, they are intended to embody high-impact areas under which a company can act to advance the Sustainable Energy for All objectives while simultaneously realizing increased business value.

The business community is uniquely positioned to make a significant and essential contribution to advancing the objectives of Sustainable Energy for All, and to benefit from the opportunities the initiative presents. Industry as a whole will be the innovation and technology engine needed to make progress toward these objectives —providing access to capital, developing efficient and innovative product and services, supporting continued research and development investments, and enabling knowledge-sharing and learning across industries and governments around the world. But businesses can only make a lasting impact if there is alignment between Sustainable Energy for All and their core strategies for growth, innovation, and value creation. Among other things, this report attempts to shed light on this strategic alignment...