Safeguarding Sustainability: A Dynamic Risk Assessment for the Sustainability Agenda

In a world shaped by volatility, fragmentation and mounting short‑term pressures, progress on sustainability cannot be assumed.

While business leaders continue to recognize sustainability as a key driver of value creation, resilience and competitiveness, the sustainability agenda itself faces a growing set of interconnected risks that threaten to slow or reverse hard‑won gains.

Produced by WBCSD in collaboration with KPMG, Safeguarding Sustainability applies KPMG’s Dynamic Risk Assessment (DRA) methodology to the sustainability agenda as a whole. Rather than examining risks in isolation, the report maps 20 critical risks and explores how they interact as part of a complex system, revealing where action – or inaction – can have the greatest systemic impact.

The findings show that short‑termism sits at the center of the risk network, amplifying many other risks. They also highlight that some of the most influential threats to sustainability progress are behavioral and cognitive in nature, not solely technical, financial or policy‑driven. In this context, learning, systems thinking and long‑term decision‑making emerge as critical capabilities for business.

This report provides business leaders with a clearer lens on today’s sustainability risk landscape, identifying the leverage points where collective action matters most and where business is best placed to act.

Download the report to understand the most influential risks, where collective action matters most, and how business leaders can safeguard sustainability in an uncertain world.