Trailblazers & Transformers: UK Business Sectors Redefining Sustainability - the most downloaded report in the history of the UN Global Compact!

By the UN Global Compact with contributions from Fashion Roundtable's Meg Pirie

With just five years remaining to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, a new report from the UN Global Compact Network UK, in collaboration with University College London (UCL), SDSN UK, Newcastle University, and Euromonitor International, offers a timely assessment of how UK business sectors are performing on sustainability – and where more action is urgently needed.

Trailblazers & Transformers: UK Business Sectors Redefining Sustainability benchmarks six high-impact sectors against the 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.

Key Findings:

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.

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.

Last year, Fashion Roundtable co-hosted an event with the UN Global Compact Network at 180 The Strand, with speakers including Patrick Grant, Baroness Lola Young of Hornsey and a packed audience of sustainability leaders, trade bodies and c-suite.

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.”

Meg Pirie, Head of Sustainability and Regeneration Policy, Fashion Roundtable said: “I was so pleased to be included in the UN’s latest report, which paints a poignant picture of both the challenges and solutions, as we collectively aim to meet SDG targets.

As a sector we face significant challenges, both environmentally and socially, from waste being offshored to the Global South (which is grossly impacted by the overconsumption waste model); raw material sourcing practices; as well as poor labour practices. There are also wider issues, such as increased trade tariffs, cybersecurity issues (e.g. recently Marks and Spencers and Land Rover) and increasingly stringent regulations, which smaller brands cannot absorb.

At Fashion Roundtable, we feel that embedding the principles of the Creative Wellbeing Economy (CWE) into policy and funding frameworks, would result in a shift towards economic, educational, employment, health, and cultural policies that prioritise long-term wellbeing over short-term profit. By placing creativity at the heart of sustainable development, CWE offers a roadmap for building an economy that values people, places, and the environment and this is something that is core to meeting SDG targets.”

Read your copy of the report here.