In just a few short months, Covid-19 reshaped the world. At this point, we don’t know how long Covid-19 will continue to affect the way we live. But we do know that we can already see the impact it’s having on so many areas: the economy, our personal lives—and the environment. Covid-19 is a global health crisis, but it’s also part of the ongoing environmental crisis our world is facing. And it’s showing just how closely linked our economy and lifestyles are to the overall health of the planet.
As we move through the pandemic and begin to think about recovery, business leaders can place a pretty secure bet on the fact that the expectation for the well-thought-out environmental strategy will be even stronger than it was before.
As my colleague Suzanne DiBianca, Salesforce’s chief impact officer, recently said, “We are facing numerous challenges now, but regardless of what else is happening in the world, the climate crisis is here, it’s real, and this is the decade where we need to act. As leaders, we need to be thinking about how we can continue to prioritize sustainability throughout this time and into the future. At Salesforce, the call for leadership and action in the environmental space—from our stakeholders, our communities and our employees—is clearer than ever amid the Covid-19 crisis.”
Leaders need to think proactively—starting now—about everything from normalizing remote work, to incentivizing green transportation, to investing in sustainable sourcing and supply chain practices, to funding environmental restoration efforts. If this seems like a stretch from the situation we’re all in now, it’s not. The health of the planet is inextricably linked to the health and well-being of people and businesses across the globe. Leaders who are preparing now to address both with strong strategies and decision making will set their businesses and their people up for success in the future.
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