Profit meets purpose: Exploring how responsible business conduct relates to financial performance and supply chain standards

As global expectations for corporate responsibility evolve, a central question continues to shape business and policy debates: can responsible business conduct coexist with growth and competitiveness?

This paper steps into that debate with fresh analysis. Drawing on benchmark data from more than 1,100 globally significant companies, the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA) explores how responsible business conduct relates to financial outcomes and competitiveness. The analysis focuses on two connected dimensions:

• Sustainable business practices and financial performance: The analysis explores the relationship between responsible business practices and key financial indicators, providing insights into how sustainability performance relates to financial growth and resilience.
• Responsible supply chains and regulatory influence: Extending this analysis to global supply chains, the second part of the analysis explores how companies’ internal practices and external regulatory environments influence the strength of supplier standards they set.

Complementing the quantitative analysis, the paper also features case studies developed with WBA’s partners — the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) — drawing on examples from their member companies. These cases provide practical perspectives on how the business case for sustainability unfolds in practice across different contexts and company sizes.

Looking ahead, there is significant potential to deepen and expand this research. In early 2026, new data will become available from WBA’s assessment of 2,000 globally influential companies, including the latest Climate and Energy Benchmark results and updated Core Social Indicator (CSI) assessments. This will enable further analysis of how companies are integrating sustainability into business performance and supply chain practices over time.