It is key we step up and accelerate change

WBA Ambassador Paul Polman, Co-Founder and Chair of Imagine, responds to the launch of our first ever Food and Agriculture benchmark, which measures and compares 350 global food and agriculture companies on their environmental, nutritional and social impact. Paul is a leading proponent that business should be a force for good, demonstrating those beliefs whilst CEO at Unilever from 2009-2019, the no.1 ranking company in the benchmark. See benchmark results here

“The WBA plays a key role from companies understanding where they stand and compared to other companies in the industry… It is a good barometer of accountability that companies are willing to take.”

“It indeed starts with assuming our own personal responsibility for the impact that our businesses have in the world, both positive and negative. It is promising to see in the benchmark that there are top performers from across the value chain. But unfortunately …the majority of companies do quite frankly need to step up. It is unacceptable that many companies of such size and influence are not reporting on their impact or not delivering on their responsibilities. Clearly, we still have a long way to go.”

“I believe we know what needs to be done. We do not want to be trialing, risking being on the wrong side of history. It is key we step up and accelerate change. The world needs it now more than ever and frankly you as companies will equally benefit. It is time that profits now come from solving the world’s problems not causing them. Enjoy the reading but more importantly accelerate the actions!”

For full video:

To learn more about Paul’s newly launched book Net Positive,  visit here.