Trailblazers & Transformers: UK Business Sectors Redefining Sustainability benchmarks six high-impact sectors against the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), revealing wide variation in sustainability maturity and readiness. It highlights standout practices, identifies leadership gaps, and pinpoints opportunities for transformation. Drawing on UN Global Compact Communication on Progress (CoP) data, World Benchmarking Alliance metrics, market trends, and policy context, the report sets out evidence-based recommendations to accelerate sustainable impact across the UK economy.

With just five years remaining to achieve the SDGs by 2030, the new report - from the UN Global Compact Network UK, in collaboration with Newcastle University, University College London (UCL), SDSN UK, and Euromonitor International - offers a timely assessment of the progress of six sectors: Consumer Staples, Energy and Utilities, Consumer Discretionary, Industrials, Financials, and Technology and Telecommunications, in advancing sustainable development. It benchmarks progress, highlights barriers, and identifies how closer collaboration can unlock the pace and scale of change required to deliver the SDGs.

The Newcastle University team, comprising Dr Graham Long, Jill Hardacre and Elizabeth Muggleton, contributed to development of the research and drafting of the report. The project, with its focus on business, complements the team’s previous collaboratio with UN Global Compact UK that looked at the UK's overall SDG performance and the UK's response to the SDGs in 2023 with Bond UK.

Dr Long said: “This report advances our understanding of how to track and map the contribution of UK business activity around the SDGs. Partnership is integral to this agenda, and our team at Newcastle worked alongside UN Global Compact, UCL, SDSN UK, and Euromonitor to bring this report together.”

With public trust in corporate sustainability claims under strain, Trailblazers & Transformers provides timely guidance for boards, policymakers, and investors. It identifies four levers for change – finance, policy, innovation, and partnership – and calls for targeted action to unlock sustainable investment and global competitiveness.

Steve Kenzie, Executive Director of UN Global Compact Network UK, said: “This report provides a vital snapshot of where UK industries stand on sustainability, and where they need to go. It’s a call to action for business leaders, policymakers, and investors to align strategy, governance, and incentives with the urgent demands of our time.”

Key findings of the analysis include:

• Sector-by-sector benchmarking reveals uneven progress, with some industries leading on SDG alignment while others lag behind on key issues such as carbon reporting, water quality, and supply chain transparency.
• Cross-sector challenges include Scope 3 emissions, inconsistent ESG integration, and limited collaboration on shared sustainability goals.
• Executive pay and sustainability: While many global companies are linking remuneration to ESG performance, UK sectors show inconsistent adoption. The report calls for clearer frameworks and further support to help businesses embed sustainability metrics into governance and incentive structures.
• Policy priorities include creating enabling environments for responsible business, incentivising innovation, and improving sustainability reporting standards.
• The report calls for sector-specific follow-ups, including roundtables, toolkits, and frameworks to support implementation and drive measurable change.

Press release adapted with thanks to UN Global Compact Network UK