Dentsu has joined as the newest member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).
In February 2021, Dentsu Group committed to procure 100% renewable electricity and reduce absolute emissions by 46% by 2030. Its international operations are already powered by 100% renewable electricity. dentsu had also committed to helping 1 billion people make more sustainable choices in collaboration with its clients and partners.
Dentsu’s 2030 sustainability strategy sets out the areas in which it can make the biggest difference:
- Decarbonizing the digital economy by achieving Net Zero emissions by 2030 and helping 1 billion people to make more sustainable choices;
- Helping to build a fair and open society by creating a diverse and inclusive workforce and society, and by promoting equality and challenging perceptions through their work;
- Realizing the positive potential of digital by closing the digital divide through empowering the next generation with the skills they need to thrive.
In addition, it has launched dentsu Sustainable Business Solutions (dSBS), a commercial strategy at the core of the Group’s business strategy, as laid out in the Dentsu Group Medium-Term Management Plan announced in February 2021.
dSBS will support business growth while integrating sustainability across campaigns. Dentsu’s strength in integrated communication is based on a deep understanding of consumers and society, creativity, and an ecosystem of co-creation with clients and partners. The Group will incorporate this dSBS perspective into all of its businesses both within and outside of Japan.
Dentsu now plans to expand this at scale and achieve the goals of the medium-term management plan by 2024.
As dentsu joins WBCSD, the company will leverage its expertise and network in the Japanese market to advise and help position Vision 2050 and the work of WBCSD in Japan among the wider business community.
On joining WBCSD, Wendy Clark, Director and Executive Officer Dentsu Group Inc., Global CEO, Dentsu International and Council Member of WBCSD said: “The case for sustainability has never been greater and dentsu is committed to a focused agenda of Growth FROM Good. As a global leader in media and advertising, we have a unique opportunity and responsibility to help guide our clients through this transition and in parallel use our insight into human behaviour to inspire people all over the world to a better and more sustainable way of living.
"By joining WBCSD we bring this purpose and capability to a network of like-minded global companies, committed to accelerating the transition to a more sustainable, restorative and inclusive economy.”
“We’re delighted to be welcoming dentsu to the WBCSD membership. Their leadership, expertise, depth of knowledge and capacity to communicate to a broad range of audiences and stakeholders is second to none. We need world-class leaders like dentsu to help inform global conversations and communicate the urgency and breadth of transformations that are required for more than nine billion people to live well, within planetary boundaries, by mid-century – as laid out in Vision 2050,” said WBCSD President and CEO Peter Bakker.
The Japanese business community is strongly represented with 20 member companies among WBCSD’s membership and plays a leading role in advancing the Council’s work globally.