The 2016 Global Opportunity Report

7/25/2019 The 2016 Global Opportunity Report

1/148

GLOBAL OPPORTUNITY

REPORT 2016

Your guide to a world of opportunities


2/148

2016

ANTI BIOT IC- FRE E

FOOD

Though still a niche in the food market, increa-sing consumer awareness is paving the way fora growing market in antibiotic-free food.

NEW BUSINESS

MODEL FOR ANTIBIOTICS

A mix of innovative approaches to R&D, newforms of nancing mechanisms and regulatorytools can help bring novel antibiotics to themarket. It is an entirely new business model.

PRECISION

TREATMENT

New diagnostic tools can help doctorsprescribe narrow spectrum antibiotics whichonly target the bad bacteria at play. Precisediagnose for precision treatment bring downoveruse of antibiotics.

We are entering a post-antibiotic era where common infections and minorinjuries can kill because the drugs don'twork anymore. Antibiotics are in the meatthat we eat, it leaks to dri nking water and isoverused by doctors - it's everywhere.

OPPORTUNITIES:

RESISTANCE TO LIFE-

SAVING MEDICINE

FUTUREPRENEURS

Conventional thinking sees entrepreneur-ship as an alternative to the conventional

corporate world, but bringing the two worldstogether through corporate incubators is anopportunity to grow jobs.

THE DIGITAL LABOUR MARKET

Opportunity and talent are not evenlydistributed. Digital technology can bringjobs to margina lised you th in remote corn ersof the world.

CLOSING THE SKILLS GAP

Education for a changing labour marketneeds to be exible, giving youth the abilityto learn skills in general or learn how to learnmore when needed.

Youth all over the wor ld are joini ng theranks of the unemployed. Almost a quarterof the planet's youth are neither working norstudying. Jobless growth is now a globalreality for the next generation.

OPPORTUNITIES:

A GENERATION

WASTED

FLEXIBLE MOBILITY

A exible transport system provides exi -bility in travel times, forms of transport and

service provider, while today many people'sdaily transport choices are being d icated byprevious investments in for example a car.

CROWD TRANSPORT

The transport collaborative economy isopportunity to ride together and transportstuff together, which will bring down con-gestion and air pollution from emissions.

LOW TRANSPORTCITIES

Imagine living in a city where all your activ-ities are within reach on foot, by bike or bya well-connected transport system. A lowtransport city is such a place.

Seven out of eight urban citizens breatheair that fails to meet WHO safe levels. Trans-port is mainly to blame, however, societiesneed mobility of people and goods tofunction and develop.

OPPORTUNITIES:

ACCELERATING

TRANSPORT

EMISSIONS

CLOSING THE LOOP

Closing the loop is an opportunity to stopoverfeeding the sea nutrients that are slowly

killing it, but it is also an opportunity toreuse and recycle valuable resources. It i sthe circular economy of the ocean.

REGENERATIVE OCEANECONOMY

Developing ways to use the oceans that sup-ports biodiversity is an opportunity to createresilience and long-term value for societyand business.

SMART OCEAN

The oceans of the world are the last undis-covered frontier, which is slowly opening upto become smart oceans, this will enableus to make the right choices for sustainabledevelopment in the ocean space.

Uncontrolled seas the majority of the highseas is common territory. Nobody owns itand nobody protects it. Three billion peopledepend on protein from sh, but globalocean biodiversity is suffering due to pollu-tion from land and ocean activities.

OPPORTUNITIES:

LOSS OF OCEAN

BIODIVERSITY

NEW DIETS

A global dietary transition that includes put-ting more local produce and a varied sourceof proteins on our plates is an opportunity

to put people, planet and our commonprosperity on a healthy track.

SMART FARMING

Vast disse mination of a dvance d technolog -ical tools at an af fordable price has meantthat both large and small-scale farmers havenew and more precise tools to produce morewith less.

REDUCE FOODWASTE

From our farms to grocery stores to dinnertables, much of the food we grow is nevereaten. Reducing food waste is an opportu-nity to innovate along the value chain.

Today there is enough food for everyoneon the planet, but still 795 million peoplego to bed hungry every day. Thirty to ftypercent of all food produced never reach esa human stomach. In 2050, the world has tofeed nine billion people in a warmer worldwith lower yields.

OPPORTUNITIES:

GLOBAL FOOD

CRISIS


3/148

GLOBALOPPORTUNITY

REPORT

2016

GLOBAL OPPORTUNITY REPORT 1


4/148

PROJECT PARTNERS

DNV GL AS

Driven by the purpose of safeguarding life, property and the environment,DNV GL enables organizations to advance the safety and sustainability oftheir business. DNV GL provides classication and technical assurance alongwith software and independent expert advisory services to the maritime, oiland gas, and energy industries. The company also provides certication ser-vices to customers across a wide range of industries. Operating in more than100 countries, its 15,000 professionals are dedicated to helping its cus tomersmake the world safer, smarter and greener.

UNITED NATIONS GLOBAL COMPACT

The United Nations Global Compact is a call to companies everywhere toalign their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principlesin the areas of hu man rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and totake action in support of UN goals and issues embodied in the SustainableDevelopment Goals. The UN Global Compact is a leadership platform forthe development, implementation and disclosure of responsible corporatepractices. Launched in 2000, it is the largest corporate sustainability initiativein the world, with more than 8,000 companies and 4,000 non-business signa-tories based in over 160 countries, and more than 85 Local Networks.

MONDAY MORNING GLOBAL INSTITUTE

Monday Morning Global Institute is Scandinavia's leading think tank. Fortwenty-ve years, the company has developed a wide range of activities andprojects through cross-sector partnerships. A common denominator in ourprojects is the desire to build sustainable and resilient societies.

Monday Morning Global Institute has founded Sustania, a global leadingsolution platform. Sustainia is a clear and achievable vision of a sustainablesociety built on scenarios in which readily available solutions, innovations andtechnologies are implemented on a large scale.

Global Opportunity Report 2016, First Edition is published by DNV GL AS.

This report is based on information and sources that the authors regard as credible and accu-rate. Though both internal and external reviewers have commented on it extensively, we donot make any warranty on the information obtained from third parties.

The text in the report may describe conditions and expectations of future developmentsbased on assumptions and information that are relevant at the time of writing. However, theassumptions of what constitutes relevant risks and opportunities may change dramatically,and the companies behind the report do not make any warranty to the continued relevanceor accuracy of the text and will not be obliged to update the material. Readers are cautionednot to place undue reliance on the statements in this publication and are advised to alwaysindependently seek further information. The companies behind the report shall in no way beliable for any loss or damage arising from the use of information from this report.

The survey reported on in this report was conducted in collaboration with the researchcompany YouGov. There are a total of 5,567 completed Computer-assisted web interviews(CAWI) with persons with management responsibility working in companies with a minimum of100200 employees. The survey was conducted between 6 to 21 October 2015.

DNV GL AS,Hvik, Oslo

Copyright 2016By DNV GL AS

All rights reserved. No par t of this publication may be copied, reproduced, stored (in anymedium hereunder any retrieval systems) or transmitted, adapted or changed, in any form orby any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, for any purpose whatso-ever without the prior written permission of DNV GL AS.

This report is available atwww.globalopportunitynetwork.org
http://www.globalopportunitynetwork.org/http://www.globalopportunitynetwork.org/


5/148

DEAROPPORTUNITYLEADER,

We are in the midst of a seismic change in the way we or-ganise our societies, run our businesses, and live our lives.Whether we all stand to benet from this change is up toyou. You are the one who can turn the myriad of intercon-nected risks we face into opportunities.

2015 was a groundbreaking year, ushering in a new de -velopment paradigm, with the Sustainable DevelopmentGoals launched by the United Nations known as theGlobal Goals and confronting the most severe dangersof climate change at COP21 in Paris. 2015 was also theyear the rst edition of the Global Opportunity Report waspublished, and the timing was no coincidence. Amidst theforging of global political deals on the future of develop-ment, the Global Opportunity Repor t highlighted concreteroutes to reach the global aspirations for a sustainable and

resilient world.

The partners behind the Global Opportunity Networkoriginally brought together their respective experienceswithin risk and opportunity management in response toan urgent need: We require new navigation tools to tackleour time's most pressing challenges in an increasinglycomplex and interconnected risk landscape. In order tothrive in this new landscape, busines ses must look beyondtheir immediate interests and navigate a wider opportuni-ty space that holds the key to futu re prosperity. With thisstarting point, the Global Opportunity Network engagedleaders across business, th e public sector, and civil society

in eight locations on ve continents. Together, they turnedve global risks into the 15 opportunities in the rst GlobalOpportunity Report.

The report you are about to read is proof that the oppor-tunity mindset has s taying power. Like the rst edition, thisreport focuses on ve global risks. The risks covered bythe second edition are: resistance to life-s aving medicine,the worsening global food crisis, accelerating transpor temissions, loss of ocean biodiversity, and a generationlost to unemployment. Based on these ris ks, we mapped15 corresponding opportunities via a thorough reviewprocess with exper ts and a global survey engaging morethan 5,500 leaders. The 2016 report thus continue s to buildthe catalogue of opportunities the last report star ted,increasing the number of opportunities from 15 to 30. This

catalogue will continue to grow in the coming years, as theGlobal Opportunity Network increases its membership andidenties new risks and opportunities.

This year, however, we do not stop at mapping the oppor-tunities; we shed light on people who want to bring aboutpositive change. Through portraits of opportunity leaders,the report investigates how the new opportunity mindset istaking hold. The change the Global Opportunity Networkis instigating comes from the people comprising it. Theseindividuals are not afraid to disrupt business as usual; theyunderstand the power of actions to bring about systemicchange, appreciate the power of strong and clear messaging,

and look to the future with a strategic and an optimistic eye.Most importantly, the opportunity leader understands thatrisks are not to be avoided. Complex and interconnectedglobal risks are the new norm. Hence, our approach mus tbe proactive and engaging, rather than acting only oncecrisis has struck because the difference between a riskand an opportunity i s how soon you discover it.

If you are not already among the opportunity leaders, weinvite you to join us in the Global Opportunity Network. Asan opportunity leader, you are the main protagonist in thecreation of safer, smarter, and greener businesses that makean impact beyond business. With the new strategic oppor-tunity mindset and unprecedented possibilities of learning,co-creation, and innovation across industrial, technological,spatial, and cultural boundaries, the potential for change has

never been better. Politicians have dened ambitious goalsfor the world. It is time for you to pursue opportunities toturn abstract dreams into concrete action.

REMI ERIKSEN

GROUP PRESIDENTAND CEO DNV GL

ERIK RASMUSSEN

CEO AND FOUNDERMONDAY MORNINGGLOBAL INSTITUTE

LISE KINGO

EXECUTIVEDIRECTOR UNGC


6/148


7/148

CONTENTS

3 FOREWORD

6 THE ROAD TO THE REPORT

8 EXECUTIVE PERSPECTIVE

10 THE 10 MAIN MESSAGES

14 GLOBAL GOALS ARE GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES

20 MEET THE OPPORTUNITY LEADER

32 WELCOME TO A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITIES

36 LOSS OF OCEAN BIODIVERSITY

OPPORTUNITIES:

CLOSING THE LOOP

REGENERATIVE OCEANECONOMY

SMART OCEAN

54 RESISTANCE TO LIFE-SAVING MEDICINE

OPPORTUNITIES:

ANTIBIOTIC- FREE FOOD

NEW BUSINESS MODELFOR ANTIBIOTICS

PRECISION TREATMENT

72 ACCELERATING TRANSPORT EMISSIONS

OPPORTUNITIES:

FLEXIBLE MOBILITY

CROWD TRANSPORT

LOW TRANSPORT CITIES

90 A GENERATION WASTED

OPPORTUNITIES:

FUTUREPRENEURS

THE DIGITAL LABOUR MARKET


108 GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS

OPPORTUNITIES:

NEW DIETS

SMART FARMING

REDUCE FOOD WASTE

126 HOW WE COLLECTED DATA

132 THE ROAD AHEAD

136 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

138 SOURCES AND FURTHER READING



8/148

THE ROADTO THE REPORT

HOW WE SEE I T

The report is rooted in the tension between global risksand opportunities. The concept of opportunity offers aperspective of the world where change is bencial, evenon a large societal scale. From the two concepts of ri skand opportunity emerges the third and nal ingredient ofthe report opportunit y leadership. In combination, thesethree ideas inspire a fundamentally new way of looking atthe world and exercising leadership. Opportunity leadersare what we call those who react to risks from the perspec-tive of opportunities.

Allow us to share how we dene risk and oppor tunity, andhow we through an innovative collaborative process haveworked with these terms for making this report.

RISK

To be included in the report, a risk has to be sy stemic innature. Systemic risks have the ability to break down anentire system as opposed to only impact ing individualparts or components of it. Systemic risks are fuelled byglobalisation and the rapid rise of technology. Fastercommunication, digital connectivity, increased mobility,and shorter trade and investment links are bringing peoplecloser together. All these advantages from globalisationrender the world more fragile by enabling risks to travel theglobe at unprecedented speed, potentially changing entiresystems along the way.

The systemic risks discussed in the repor t were selectedbased on a number of criteria. They have to be globalin reach, which means they are signicant enough to makeheadlines everywhere. In addition, a risk mus t be feltby multiple stakeholders as well as being both timelyand actionable.

OPPORTUNITY

Opportunities are avenues of action that stakeholders inbusiness, politics, nance, and civil society can choose topursue when addressing global risk s. They create value forsocieties and the planet, not just for individuals or busi-

nesses. An opportunity is different from a single businesssolution, because it addresses a r isk at a systemic levelthrough multi-stakeholder collaboration.

An opportunity is always inspired by a global risk andeffectively works to address it. Therefore, it has the potentialto change an entire system. Policy ambitions, such as theUN Sustainable Development Goals, can pave the way fornew opportunities through the development of policies andnancial incentives to encourage governments, business,and other stakeholders to engage in systemic change.

Lastly, opportunities are sust ainable. We dene sustaina-

bility as it was originally phrased in the Brun dtland report:"Sustainable development is development that meets theneeds of the present withou t compromising the ability offuture generations to meet their own needs."

OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP

Changing systems starts with people who look at theworld from an opportunity perspective and take action.They have an eye for spotting risk on the horizon as wellas the ability to navigate through it and come out on th eother side with innovative opportunities. They are peoplewho represent a new breed of leaders capable of collabo-rating on an entirely new scale to elevate change from themicro to the macro level. These opportunit y leaders havea number of characteristics enabling them to leadsystemic change.

For one, they are system thinkers able to s ee and under-stand how individual projects, single initiatives, and policymeasures inuence an entire system. They s ee the big pic-ture and actively try to change it by creating value for so-ciety, the planet, and business. Secondly, they posses s thecourage to challenge conventional thinking, and they dareto introduce disruptive ways of working. To them, businessas usual is just not good en ough, and a risk is an oppor-tunity to introduce needed change. Thirdly, opportunit y

leaders are capable of spotting the right mix of part nersrequired to elevate change to a societal scale.

HOW WE MADE THE REPORT

The Global Opportunity Report is the result of a processstretching over almost one year. Aiming to show how riskscan be turned into opportunities, we produced the report-by means of a three-stage process.

1. IDENTIFY RISKS The starting point of the analysis isto select a set of global sustainability challenges and

RISKS

OPPORTUNITIES

OPPORTUNITY MINDSET: EMBRACING RISKS TOSEE OPPORTUNITIES


9/148

risks to inspire the work. The ve risks selected for thisyear's report are:

A Generation Wasted Resistance to Life-saving Medicine Accelerating Transport Emissions Global Food Crisis Loss of Ocean Biodiversity

We do not claim that these risks are the only or necessar-ily the most prominent challenges facing the world today but certainly all are of great importance.

2. CO-CREATE OPPORTUNITIESEight panels onve continents were conducted to bring insights from localstakeholders and sustainability experts to the process.More than 200 people participated a mix of professionalsfrom business, academia, and civil society. Within thesediverse groups, both with respect to business sectors andgeography, many opportunities were identied.

This material formed the basis for identifying the 15opportunities presented in the report. In this process,both internal DNV GL and UN Global Compact resourcesas well as external experts provided input.

3. SURVEY THE OPPORTUNITIES The attrac-tiveness of these 15 opportunities was subsequentlymeasured in a global survey involving more than5,500 private and public sector leaders from acrossthe globe. We asked respondents how import ant aparticular opportunity is for their country. This includedevaluating its benet for society and t he capabilitiestheir countries have to pursue the opportunity. Theresponses to these questions form the basis of the gen-eral ranking of opportunities ( please see section "HowWe Collected Data" for more information).

Respondents were also asked to evaluate the valueof the opportunities for business by considering twoquestions. First, respondents were asked to consider theoverall expected effect on their own business; second,they were asked how likely their own business is todevelop new ventures related to the opportunity.

Further, respondents were asked to evaluate how likelydifferent stakeholder groups in their country are to sup-port the pursuit of the opportunity.

Each of the opportunities is presented together with infor-

mation on how respondents have measured its attractive-ness for society and business. For all of the opportunities,a range of related solutions were also identied. Thesesolutions are examples of how opportunities are alreadyexerting a positive impact on people around the globe.

WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK

The Opportunity Panels are the foundation of the GlobalOpportunity Report and the underlying process of turningrisks into opportunities. We are thankful that so manyengaged opportunity minds around the world s hared theirreections with us on the t ype of leadership required to turnglobal risks into opportunities.

Multiple concrete ideas were developed during the panels,many more than made the way into this report. We thank allthe panel participants for lending us their time and thoughtsin a process of collaborative and innovative problem-solv-

ing. This report would not have been possible without thisinspiring global conversation.

All the co-created ideas were reviewed by experts severaltimes during the editorial process. We thank each and everyone of them for their critical and constructive comments,which have challenged and strengthened the analysis. In ad-dition, the experts contributed their insights into the highlycomplex issues addressed in the report. This enabled us to

develop a deeper understanding of the risks and enhancedour ability to explain opportunities to the reader in a clearand understandable manner.

A special thank you also goes to the more than 5,50 0private and public sector leaders who par ticipated in ourglobal survey regarding the opportunities presented here.The support from all those involved means that t he GlobalOpportunity Repor t 2016 represents a body of work withtruly global roots.

IDENTIFY

Identify five globalrisks which are timely

and actionable.

CO-CREATE

Co-create opportunitiesat eight opportunity

panels.

ELABORATE

Work withexperts to elaborate

opportunities.

SEARCH

Identifysolutions under each

opportunity.

MEASURE

Measure attractivnessof opportunities in aworldwide survey.

CONSOLIDATE

Consolidate findings inthe global opportunity

report.

GLOBAL OPPORTUNITY

REPORT 2016

Yourguideto a world of opportunities1

L

L

T

ITY

E

T

THE GLOBAL OPPORTUNITY NETWORK



10/148

Accelerating Transport Emissions

EXECUTIVEPERSPECTIVE

Business leaders see social challenges as among the mostpressing risks they face. Of the more than 5,500 leaderssurveyed worldwide, 42 percent answered that wasting anentire generation of youth to unemployment was at the topof their concerns among this year's ve risks. Looking at thebroader risk landscape, a similar trend emerges of societalrisk being a top concern most notably unemployment,poverty, and hunger.

We tend to assume that business leaders are concerned onlywith short-term prots and not with societal well-being. How-ever, the above ndings demonstrate that social unrest andeconomic disparity damage everyone's prosperity. Indeed, to-day's most pressing risks are all concerned with human needsthat we all share; a job for a life without poverty. It is the socialglue of our societies. Poverty, hunger, and youth unemploy-ment are eroding the foundation of progress not only in theworld's poorest countries, but within almost every countryaround the world. More than ever before, businesses mustkeep an eye on the wider risk and opportunity landscape inorder to ensure current and future prots.

Business leaders can be the change makers COP21 asked for.The message from Paris clear that we need to mobilise new

drivers of change. In addition, that business holds importantkeys to solving a major global challenge like climate change.This report documents that businesses have broadened theirview on what is best for both society and for business.

SYSTEMIC RISKS PRESENT GLOBALOPPORTUNITIES

As with every risk, there are opportunities to be pursued inthis apparent crisis indeed, this is the foundation of theGlobal Opportunity Network. Pursuing these opportunitiesis not simply a matter of making a bad situation a little

OPPORTUNITIES RANKED BY POTENTIAL POSITIVE IMPACT ON SOCIETY

Figure shows the overall ranking of all opportunities based on the share ofresponses for the opportunity that fall into the category "most positive." This isdened as respondents rating opportunities above 5 (on a scale from -10 to 10)

on both the benets to society and on societies' capacity to pursue the oppor -tunities. Colours for the 2016 opportunities indicate which risk they address. Inorder to identify trends over time the two years are displayed separately.

Business leaders are ready to tackle social challenges.

A Generation WastedResistance to Life-saving Medicine A Global Food CrisisLoss of Ocean Biodiversity

1 WATER-EFFICIENT AGRICULTURE

2 EVERYDAY HEALTH ENABLERS

3 FRESH WATER PRODUCTION

4 GREEN CONSUMER CHOICES

5 SMART WATER REGULATION

6 REGULATED ENERGY TRANSITION

7 INNOVATIVE FINANCE FOR A HEALTHY GENERATION

8 ENERGY AUTONOMY

9 EARLY WARNING AND FORECASTING SERVICES

10 SMART CITIES

11 COMBAT NCDS WITH MOBILE TECHNOLOGIES

12 RURAL GROWTH INITIATIVES

13 COMPACT, GREEN AND CONNECTED CITIES

14 COST-EFFECTIVE ADAPTATION

15 INVESTMENTS IN RESILIENCE

20162015

1 SMART FARMING

2 THE DIGITAL LABOUR MARKET

3 CLOSING THE SKILLS GAP

4 REDUCE FOOD WASTE

5 PRECISION TREATMENT

6 ANTIBIOTIC- FREE FOOD

7 REGENERATIVE OCEAN ECONOMY

8 NEW BUSINESS MODEL FOR ANTIBIOTICS

9 FLEXIBLE MOBILITY

10 NEW DIETS

11 FUTUREPRENEURS

12 CROWD TRANSPORT

13 CLOSING THE LOOP

14 SMART OCEAN

15 LOW TRANSPORT CITIES


11/148

better, it is a matter of turning it around. Our futu re de-pends on the opportunity mindset.

The interconnected and complex nature of the ve ri sks inthis year's report call for systemic solution s. Youth unem-ployment is an urgent example of the threatening rippleeffects of a generation without prospects.

Unemployment rates have reached par ticularly alarming

heights in the Middle East and Nor th Africa, where the lackof prospects for young people threatens to was te an entiregeneration. The untapped potential of millions of peoplehas repercussions far beyond their immediate societies.

The good news is that opportunities for change can befound if a systemic approach is applied to solving the youthunemployment crisis. Tomorrow's professionals are today'schildren. A systemic approach looks at how the sc hoolsand higher education systems interact with youth and howpolicies and corporations mold youth and their skills andculture of working. We present concrete examples of sys-temic opportunities get ting youth into work that relates toseveral of the Sustainable Development Goals.

With new thinking about education, knowledge-sharing, andentrepreneurship, aided by digital innovations, entire socie-ties can be uplifted and several global risks mitigated.

BUSINESSES ARE THE NEW ACTIVISTS

So where do we go to pursue these opportunities for sys-temic change? The survey data shows that business leadersare perceived to be the new advocates for systemic changes,alongside civil society. While the task of tackling entrenchedsocial problems once rmly belonged in the realm of gov-ernment, a clear shift is taking place: progressive businessesare working for the society they want to operate in. This is

not motivated simply by altruism, but rather by an increasingrecognition that social risks are detrimental to the bottom lineand may present business opportunities in addressing them.

A growing number of businesses must take the long viewand look beyond their immediate interest s to thrive. Tothis end, a new alliance is emerging between progressivebusinesses and civil society actors, who strive to achievethe same sustainable goals. This promises to strengthenthe social bottom line on the sustainability agenda, to-gether with the environmental and economic bottom lines,ushering a new kind of social capitalis m. It is large scalesocietal change from the bottom up.

Governments, on the other hand, exhibit a lack of politicalwill to catalyse change. A particularly strong example isSouth America, where our data shows that the capacity to

pursue change is consistently ranked much lower than thepotential suggests. Low perceived political will is holdingthe region back, and trust is necessary for citizens andbusinesses to operate. Generally, in the survey, the gov-ernmental sector is perceived to have low capacity to acton opportunities, to demonstrate low political will, and tobe least likely to pursue opportunities. When governmen-tal bodies become hamstrung and do not see themselvesas active players in an increasingly complex risk land-scape, they become reactionary rather than proactive.

Successful pursuit of opportunities requires an optimalinteraction between political regulations and innova-

tion across sectors and frontiers. This interplay betweengovernment and busines s is exemplied by this year's topopportunity, smart farming. Governmental regulation ofthe use of water, fertilizer, and other inputs has e ncour-aged farmers to turn to techn ology to help producingmore food with fewer inputs. Innovation, at its best, isencouraged by the right framework, and governments canhelp drive this change.

TECHNOLOGY IS YOUR TOOL

This year's opportunities also show how much can beachieved despite hamstrung governmental leadership.Technology is perceived as a powerful tool in this regard,as the survey sh ows leaders globally believe technologicalcapacity is availiable to pursue opportunities.

This year, as well as last, the top opportunit y was basedon people using technology to use fewer sc arce naturalresources and to ensure the f ulllment of basic needs.Technology plays an important role in all of the top op-portunities this year. We see this exemplied in effor ts toaddress youth unemployment by closing the sk ills gap viadigital learning and large-scale health initiatives. In theseefforts, the oppor tunity mindset is the driving force, whiletechnology is the vehicle.

At its core, the opportunity mindset is about embracingrisk to see opportu nities. The challenges we face are morecomplex and interconnected than ever before. Whetherwe are tackling poverty or res ource depletion, we must besmarter about how we organise ourselves.

The opportunities in this report show there is great reasonto be optimistic. After all, creativity was never about anabundance of options, but about being imaginative withinthe constraints you nd yourself under. The best oppor-

tunity leaders embody this mindset, and the world needsthem more than ever.

Leaders in private and public sector see great opportunties in getting youthback to work. Data shows that the three opportunities for job creation are toppriorities for pursuing new business initiatives. Colours indicate the risk theopportunities address.

OPPORTUNITIES RANKED BY BUSINESS POTENTIAL

1 CLOSING THE SKILLS GAP

2 THE DIGITAL LABOUR MARKET

3 FUTUREPRENEURS

4 FLEXIBLE MOBILITY

5 LOW TRANSPORT CITIES

6 SMART FARMING

7 REDUCE FOOD WASTE

8 CROWD TRANSPORT

9 NEW DIETS

10 PRECISION TREATMENT

11 CLOSING THE LOOP

12 AN TIBIOTIC- FREE FOOD

13 SMART OCEAN

14 NEW BUSINESS MODEL FOR ANTIBIOTICS

15 REGENERATIVE OCEAN ECONOMY



12/148

THE 10 MAINMESSAGES

The ten main messages are concrete takeaways to inspireleaders in business, civil society, and politics to start turningglobal risks into opportunities for collaborative action. Eachmain message has its roots in the opportunity chapter,where you will nd its supporting data.

The survey shows that leaders from different societalgroups look optimistically at our ability to pursue systemicchange across ve sectors and nine regions.

BUSINESS IS THE NEW ACTIVIST

Our survey shows that business is perceived to be amongthe top advocates for all 15 opportunities. Only civil societyis perceived as a stronger advocate.

The business sector in general is perceived to be an actorpushing for sustainable change. It is also evident that businessand civil society are on the same page regarding the op-portunities they can be expected to advocate most stronglyfor. Hence, we can expect new forms of solution alliances toemerge between business and civil society for collaborativeactions to change societies from the bottom up.

TECHNOLOGY IS AN OPPORTUNITY DRIV ER

In four out of the top ve oppor tunities, technology willplay a signicant role in enabling private and public leadersto act in an effective manner.

The survey has tes ted the capacity to pursue all 15 oppor-tunities across three dimensions - technology, economy,and political will power. Of these three dimensions, techno-logical capacity is consistently perceived to be the lowestbarrier to change. Hence, technology is a strong driver of

all 15 opportunities. However, the data shows that it tendsto be a weaker driver in lower Human Development Index(HDI) regions, pointing to a need for technology transfersfor a number of opportunities to be realised.

SMART FARMING IS THE TOP OPPORTUNITY

Sustainable and more efcient production of food usingtechnology and digital solutions is the top opportunity in2016. Business believes that the wor ld is willing and able tochange how we produce food by making farming smarter.It is a mature opportunity, adaptable across geographies

and scale, and with readily available solutions in the mar-ket. This year's top opportunity shares similarities with lastyear's number one: water-efcient agricultu re. Both aredriven by a mix of resource scarcity and digital solutions,encouraging farmers to use technology to target inputs.

CIVIL SOCIETY 4.1

POLITICS 2.6

FINANCE 1.9

BUSINESS 3.7

How likely the stakeholder group is to advocate for the opportunities - globalaverage for all opportunities on a scale from -10 to 10

WHO WILL BACK UP THE OPPORTUNITIES

SMART FARMING IS THIS YEAR'S FAVOURITE


13/148

SDGS THE JOB DESCRIPTION FOR BUSINESS

The survey shows t hat all 17 United Nations SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs) hold potential for business asbusiness leaders see opportunitie s across the full listof SDGs.

SDG number eight, on decent work and economic growth,is the highest rated in terms of business potential, followed

by SDG number three on good health and well-being.These are also the SDGs that are perceived to hold thegreatest potential to direct societies onto a sus tainabledevelopment track; hence, what is good for business i s alsogood for society.

The SDGs with the lowest potential business opportunityare those concerning inequality - both in terms of genderand income as well as the goal on partners hips for theSDGs. The survey also revealed that the knowledge aboutthe SDGs is lower in high HDI countries and in the lowerlevels of corporate management.

CIVIL SOCIETY FI GHTS TO CHANGEFOOD SYSTEMS

Globally, civil society can be expected to ght hardest forchanges to the current food system. The survey shows thatthe top three issues for civil society out of the 15 opportu-nities are all related to how we produce food.

At the top of the advocacy agenda of civil society is food

waste reduction, followed by a transition to smart farmingand then antibiotic-free food production. Of these oppor-tunities, political will power is lowest in relation to antibiot-ic-free food making it an advocacy agenda civil society maynd to be an uphill bat tle.

THE OPPORTUNITY M ANAGER ISAN A SI A N WO M AN

Across all 15 opportunities surveyed, women are morepositive than men, the young are more positive than the

elderly and than respondents in lower HDI countries aremore positive than leaders in high HDI countries. This year's'opportunity manager' is an Asian female leader under age30. She works in the service or manufacturing sector.

Chinese respondents in general stand out from all otherregions with a consistently positive outlook both on theability of the region to make systemic change h appen andthe positive benets to society of these changes. Chinese

women are the most positive of the survey respondents.

READY TO PURSUE THE MOSTPRESSING RISKS

Leaders in private and public sector are most concernedwith societal risks across the world according to the riskranking this year.

From all corners of the world, private and public sectorleaders echo the same mes sage. Unemployment calls

INDUSTRY, INNO-VATION ANDINFRASTRUCTURE

9DECENT WORKAND ECONOMICGROWTH

8REDUCEDINEQUALITIES10

LIFE ONLAND15

LIFE BELOWWATER14

CLIMATEACTION13

RESPONSIBLECONSUMP-TION AND

PRODUCTION

12SUSTAINABLECITIES ANDCOMMUNITIES

11

PEACE, JUSTICEAND STRONGINSTITUTIONS

16PARTNERSHIPSFOR THE GOALS17

CLEAN WATERAND SANITATION6

AFFORDABLEAND CLEANENERGY

7

QUALITYEDUCATION4

GENDEREQUALITY5

GOOD HEALTHAND WELL-BEING3

NOPOVERTY1

ZEROHUNGER2

BELOW 30

FEMALE

CHINESE OR

INDONESIAN

OPPORTUNITY MANAGERSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS



14/148

for urgent action, as it is rated the most pressing risk thisyear as well as last. The good news: the opportunitiesaddressing youth unemployment dominate the top fouron the opportunit y ranking this year. In addition, the topthree opportunites ranked for new business initiatives areall opportunities to address youth unemployment. Themessage is clear: leaders are ready to pursue opportunitiesto address the most pressing risks.

POLITICAL WILL IS SE EN AS HOLDING US BACK

From the three dimensions of capacity tes ted - politicalwill power, technological capacity, and nancial capacity -political will power consistently scores low across all ninegeographical regions, except China.

Looking at which of the four surveyed s takeholder groupsis perceived as most likely to advocate for change, thesame trend repeats itself; respondents do not expect thatpoliticians will actively advocate for change to the sameextend as the other stakeholders.

Answers from governmental sector respondent s reveal thateven they do not believe government has the c apacity topursue many of the opportunit ies. In addition, all of the re-spondents in the government sector show the largest gapbetween the perception of being affec ted by the oppor-tunities and their express ed likelihood to pursue the sameopportunities. Hence, it paints a pic ture of a public sector

that sees opportunities, feels affected by them, but doesnot have the capacity to act on th em.

The combination of perceived low capacity and limited politicalwill power underlines the need and benet of collaborationacross sectors where global and systemic change is needed.

SOUTH AMERICA IS READY FOR CHANGE

South America is the region with the largest gap betweenits belief in positive change arising from the oppor tuni-ties, and its capacity to pursue opportunities. The sur veyreveals that South America's low level of capacity to pursuechange is due to a general perception of a lack of politicalwill. It points to a large positive effect if the tr ust is re-stored in the political system.

THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICANREGION IS BECOMING MORE CAUTIOUS

The MENA region consistently rated opportunities signi-cantly lower compared to last year. The same goes for thebelief that change will be benecial to society. It is only inrelation to the opportunity to red uce food waste that theMENA region has a more positive outlook than the worldaverage. However, another food related opportunity; anti-biotic-free food is the opportunity the region rates lowestof all 15.

SECURING FOOD AND GETTING YOUTH INTO WORK DOMINATES THE TOP FOUR OPPORTUNITIES

SMART

FARMING

1 2 3 4DIGITAL

LABOUR MARKET

CLOSING THE

SKILLS GAP

REDUCE

FOOD WASTE

A GENERATION WASTED

ACCELERATING

TRANSPORT EMISSIONS

RESISTANCE TO

LIFE-SAVING MEDICINE

A GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS

LOSS OF OCEAN BIODIVERSITY

%

8

PERCEPTION OF MOST PRESSING RISK


15/148

ALL OP PO RT UN ITI ES AR E AS SE SS ED PO SI TI VE LY

Overall results for all opportunities when asses sed on their benets to society and onthe capacity of respondents home countries to pursue them. All opportunities are ratedpositively. The average is 4.1 and 2.9 on the two a xis on scales are going from -10 to 10.

Benefit to societyfrom pursuing this

opportunity

Capacity to pursuethis opportunity

n = 1,269-1,2883,5

3

2,5

2

3 3,5 4 4,5 5 5,5

A GENERATION WASTED

RESISTANCE TO

LIFE-SAVING MEDICINE

ACCELERATING

TRANSPORT EMISSIONS

A GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS

LOSS OF OCEAN

BIODIVERSITY

New Diets

ReduceFood Waste

SmartFarmingClosing the

Skills Gap

Digital LabourMarket

PrecisionTreatment

RegenerativeOcean Economy

CrowdTransport

Low Transport cities

Closing theLoop

Smart Ocean

Antibiotic-free Food

Flexible Mobility

New BusinessModel for Antibiotics Futurepreneurs



16/148

GLOBAL GOALS

ARE GOLDENOPPORTUNITIES

Business across the world sees opportunitiesin all 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Theywill drive new markets for the next 15 years


17/148


18/148

NEW BUSINESSOPPORTUNITIES

First, the mind-set. Our survey of more than 5,500 public andprivate sector leaders around the world shows a readiness foraction and an appreciation of the challenges we face. Busi-

ness leaders 83 percent of our respondents being privatebusiness leaders are especially concerned about Sustaina-ble Development Goals (SDGs) related to well-being, goodhealth and jobs in short, the creation of decent lives.

The survey reveals that these "back to basics" SDGs has thebiggest impact for good business as well for a sustainablesociety. However, neither these nor any of the 17 SDGs can betackled by the public sec tor alone. Luckily, public and privatesector leaders see business opportunities in all of them andthey are ready to seize them.

Second, the urgency. The long list of SDGs illustrates boththe urgency and the complexity of the challenges the worldfaces. Questions of inequality, health, and poverty areinextricably linked with climate change, land degradationand ocean biodiversity. And our time for addressing them isrunning out. If we are to solve these global problems withinthe 15 year timeframe set, we must pursue concrete oppor-

tunities for change. This report, and last year's report, is fullof them. We do not claim that the opportunities are easyshortcuts to achieving the SDGs, but they can inspire us to

operationalise the broad ambitions behind the goals.

The opportunities demonstrate new ways to make the bestof systemic risks, thus bringing the world closer to a safeand sustainable future. See opposite page for an overviewof how the opportunities are linked to the SDGs.

MAKING PROSPERITY POSSIBLE

Zooming in on the ve risks presented in this year's GlobalOpportunity Report, 42 percent of the leaders we askedacross the world singled out youth unemployment as themost pressing issue to solve. We saw a similar concern last

year, with unemployment rated as the most pressing risk ofall. Particularly since the 2008 nancial crisis, generations ofyoung people risk being wasted to a life without future pros-pects and prosperity.

Not having a job equals to loss of income, low self-esteem,loss of identity, and loss of a sense of purpose for manyyouths today. This loss of talent and opportunity has person-al, societal, and sometimes even global repercussions.

The leaders we surveyed understand this growing risk andthe immense potential for prosperity that can be unleashe d

if it is addressed correc tly. Our data shows a consistentbelief that decent work is the SDG holding the greatestpotential for business opportunities.

In tackling youth unemployment, we are not only chal-lenged by the aftermath of the global nancial crisis. Themuch bigger challenge is digitalisation of work processes,which threatens to make 50 percent of the current work

force obsolete. Even though digitalisation threatens to robjobs it i s also a dr iver of job creati on in some part s of theworld. The ever changing skill landscape makes it evenmore urgent that we think creatively about new oppor tuni-ties for young people.

In this report, we present opportunities for decent work byway of bringing job opportunities to disadvantaged youthor removing barriers to entrepreneurship through digitalinnovations. It is clear that there is not one silver bullet to jobcreation, but rather many opportunities that we must buildupon to ensure decent lives for all, now and in the future.

2015 was a year of grand political ambitions channelled into theSustainable Development Goals. These ambitions can be turnedinto concrete business opportunities given the right mind-setand urgent action.

The survey reveals that these "back

to basics" SDGs have the biggestimpact for good business as well

for a sustainable society.

Our data shows a consistent beliefthat decent work is the SDG holdingthe greatest potential for business

opportunities.


19/148

The opportunities have been linked to the SDGs by analysing how the opportunitiescontribute to the underlying 169 targets of the SDGs

OPPORTUNITIES ARE STRATEGIES TO REACH THE SDGS

CLOSING THE LOOP

REGENERATIVE OCEAN

ECONOMY

SMART OCEAN

ANTIBIOTIC-FREE FOOD

NEW BUSINESS MODEL

FOR ANTIBIOTICS

PRECISION TREATMENT

FLEXIBLE MOBILITY

CROWD TRANSPORT

LOW TRANSPORT CITIES

FUTUREPRENEURS

THE DIGITAL

LABOUR MARKET


NEW DIETS

SMART FARMING

REDUCE FOOD WASTE

NO POVERTY

ZERO

HUNGER

GOOD

HEALTH &

WELL-BEING

QUALITY

EDUCATION

GENDER

EQUALITY

CLEAN

WATER &

SANITATION

AFFORDABLE

& CLEAN

ENERGY

DECENT

WORK &

ECONOMIC

GROWTH

INDUSTRY,

INNOVATION

& INFRA-

STRUCTURE

REDUCED

INEQUA-

LITIES

SUSTAINABLE

CITIES &

COMMUNITIES

RESPONSIBLE

CONSUMP-

TION &

PRODUCTION

CLIMATE

ACTION

LIFE

BELOW

WATER

LIFE ON

LAND

PEACE,

JUSTICE

& STRONG

INSTITUTIONS

PARTNER-

SHIPS FOR

THE GOALS



20/148

A HE AL TH Y FO UND AT IO N

The public sector rates the SDG number 3 concerninghealth and well-being, highest on both dimensions: goodfor business and good for society. Our survey respondentsparticularly see healthy people as a determining fac tor forkeeping public health expenditures down and ensuringlong-term societal sustainability.

Health as an economic and social foundation for societ yis challenging. Governments everywhere are strugglingto manage the rapidly increasing cost s of health care,projected to rise 5.2 percent a year bet ween 2014 and

2018 at a global level. This increase is partly driven by thehealth needs of aging populations, growing populatio ns,and the rising prevalence of chronic diseas es. In low andmedium HDI countries diseases once thought to be chal-lenges for afuent countries alone, such as cardiovasculardiseases, cancer, diabetes and other non-communicablediseases (NCDs), have emerged as the leading cause ofdeath and disability.

We expect the public sec tor to drive new markets inpreventive health care. Innovative leaders will pursue newopportunities for collaborative action between the public

and private sector to keep populations healthy throughinvestments in healthy lifestyles. One example is thepromotion of new diets with less meat, included in t hisyear's opportunities. Opportunities from last year's Global

Opportunity Report, such as ever yday health enablers,innovative nance for a healthy g eneration, and combatingNCDs with mobile technologies are also concrete avenuesto help achieve this SDG.

NEW PARTNERSHIPS FOR CHANGE

Our survey shows that business leaders see opportunitiesacross all the 17 SDGs and are tuned to advocating forsystemic change almost to the same extent as civil society.With this in mind, we predict and welcome that busi-nesses will reach out to citizens and organisations to co-

create solutions rooted in good and sustainable societies.

The opportunities in the report for getting youth backto work and for improving public health are examples ofcollaboration between citizens and business to the bene-t of all.

Our survey reveals one immediate challenge in incentivis-ing these new partner ships is that lower levels of manage-ment, particularly managers in high HDI countries, are notvery well aware of the SDGs. Targeted information effortsmay thus be needed to further fuel the drive of business,upon which change depends.

The majority of the opportunities in this report are based onexisting technologies and modes of collaboration makingthem ready to pursue and scale up. Given the urgency of tack-ling global risks such as climate change, food shortage, andunemployment, only lack of knowledge and political will areholding back change. Opportunities in this report can helpturn ambition into reality; the time to pursue them is now.

We expect the publicsector to drive new markets

in preventive health.The majority of the opportunities

in this report are based on existingtechnologies and modes ofcollaboration making them ready to

pursue and scale up.

SDGS ARE THE JOB DESCRIPTION FOR BUSINESS

OPPORTUNITIES CAN HELP US REACH THE SDGS

S D G # 8

FUTUREPRENEURS

GLOSIN

GTHE

SKILL

SGAP

DIGITA

LLAB

OUR

MARK

ET


21/148

BUSINESS LEADERS SEE OPPORTUNITIES ACROSS ALL 17 SDGS

Opportunityfor business

Opportunityfor society

How respondents nd the SDGs to impact on sustainable development and new businessopportunities - bars indicate percentage of respondents who have selected the SDG

POTENTIAL

IMPACT

SDG

NO POVERTYZERO

HUNGER

GOOD

HEALTH &

WELL-BEING

QUALITY

EDUCATION

GENDER

EQUALITY

CLEAN

WATER &

SANITATION

AFFORDABLE

& CLEAN

ENERGY

DECENT

WORK &

ECONOMIC

GROWTH

INDUSTRY,

INNOVATION

& INFRA-

STRUCTURE

REDUCED

INEQUA-

LITIES

SUSTAINABLE

CITIES &

COMMUNITIES

RESPONSIBLE

CONSUMP-

TION &

PRODUCTION

CLIMATE

ACTION

LIFE

BELOW

WATER

LIFE ON

LAND

PEACE,

JUSTICE

& STRONG

INSTITUTIONS

PARTNER-

SHIPS FOR

THE GOALS



22/148

MEET THE

OPPORTUNITYLEADERS

Read about opportunity leadership andmeet eight opportunity leaders from theopportunity panels around the world


23/148


24/148

The transition to a more sust ainable society will not hap-pen on its own. To be able to move from seeing risks to dis-covering opportunities, we need people wh o embrace theopportunity mindset. These people will with a positiveoutlook uncover opportunities for grow th, development,and societal change. We call them opportunity leader s.

At the eight opportunity panels, we met opportunity lead-

ers, who shared with us what opportunity leadership meansto them. Here is what they emphasised:

Cultivating solutions based on collaboration Act to change the future

First and best mover Asking "Why not?" instead of "Why?" Inspiring others to do their best Cultivating a new vision

Conversations held along our global opportunity tourpointed to four characteristics of an oppor tunity leader.

DISRUPTOR OF HABITS

If you are bold enough to think you can change the world,you are likely to be one of the rare individuals who end updoing exactly that. Many people, as creatures of habit,tend to nd comfort and a sense of s ecurity in repetitivebehavior. We spend half our time awake, repeating thesame actions or thoughts without thinking. We get stuckin habits and routines, rather t han trying to do thingsdifferently. An opportunity leader i s a disruptor of familiarhabits in organisations and in business es, and in society atlarge. It is a person pursuing a passion rather than tryingto t in.

FUTURE NAVIGATOR

You can't ask p eople to trus t the fu ture because they havereal needs right now. The future is abstract, while the pres-ent is concrete. The future is somet hing most people putoff thinking about for later, for tomorrow or the day after.But opportunity leaders are curious about what the futureholds and how they can contribute to shaping what is to

come. They take charge and change the course of histor y.

WALKER

A participant at the opportunity panel in Sao Paulo said:"Opportunity leadership is less talk but more transformativeaction." Opportunity leaders do not sit around waiting forthe world to change. Rather, they spot opportunities andthen go for it. Opportunity leadership is inspired actionbecause it inspires others to break away from the comfort-able path of modest achievement to excel, to change oneself and to change the world. The opportunity leader is thenew entrepreneur of our time, someone who makes things

happen and communicates clear and strong messages. Onewho does not shy away from addressing greater societalchallenges.

A SK "W HY NO T ? "

In San Francisco, the message was that opportunity leadersask "Why not?" when faced with solutions to a problem.Even big problems and complex solutions do not intimi-date the opportunity leader. She or he does not compli-cate things but instead develops clear ideas that can beimplemented. The enthusiasm of the opportunity leader is

contagious; she or he injects energy into conversations andgroups. Positive thinking is their outlook on life in gene ral,which helps them see opportunities where others se e onlyrisks. The attitude of an opportunity leader is positive,looking at a bright future.

THE EIGHT OPPORTUNITY LEADER PORTRAITS

Over the coming pages, you will meet opportunity leadersfrom the eight opportunity panels, who will share thoughtsand reections on opportunity leadership and what it meansto their work and life. They represent true opportunityleadership from all over the world and from various businesssectors. Last year we introduced the opportunity mindsetand this year you will meet some of the people embracingit in their everyday work. These people are more importantthan ever because they pursue the opportunities wherebycreating the systemic changes called for by the SustainableDevelopment Goals. Their stories can inspire others to actwhereby further fuelling the opportunity movement.

NATURE OF ANOPPORTUNITY LEADER

People who see societal challenges as opportunitesfor business and beyond.


25/148

OPPORTUNITY LEADER

Our survey also gave us insight as to where in the world people are the greates t believersin systemic change. The data shows that Chinese and Indonesian women under the age of30 are equipped with an opportunity mindset. They believe in opportunities for systemic

change, and they have a positive outlook on our collective ability to pur sue opportunitiesfor a sustainable future. It is a woman working in the s ervice or manufacturing sec tors, andher favorite opportunit y is "Futurepreneurs," followed by "Smart Oceans."

WALKER

The new entrepreneur of our time,someone who makes things

happen and communicates clearand strong messages

DISRUPTOR

Disruptor of familiar habits inorganisations and businesses,

pursuing a passion ratherthan trying to fit in

AS K WH Y NO T

Positive thinking is theoutlook on life, which helps

see opportunities whereothers see only risks

FUTURE NAVIGATOR

Curious about what the futureholds and how to contribute to

shaping what is to come



26/148

EMPOWERINGYOUTH

AB U DH AB I OP PO RT UN ITY PANE L

When asked about the global agenda that excites hermost, Kehkashan responds that "the greatest opportunitylies in the empowerment and effec tive engagement offuture generations." She has not hesitated in pursuing thisagenda herself with unwavering determination. "Every dayis a new beginning full of latent opportunities that are justwaiting to be fullled."

A BO RN AC TI V IS TKehkashan started her engagement with environmentalwork at age eight. When asked about this early beginning

to her activism, she brushes the age question aside: "I have

always been passionate about the environment, and whenI turned eight I felt that I was old enough to take actionmyself." She planted a tree on that day, and her commitmentgrew rapidly from there. She never doubted her path: "I amborn on the 5th of June, which is the World Environment

Day. I have always felt that it was preordained for me to workfor Mother Earth and become an eco-warrior."

According to Kehkashan, "opportunity leaders are visionar-ies who do not let the trees crowd their vision of the forest.They base their decisions on their impact on the bettermentof society." She has lived by this principle throughout her 15-year lifetime. At the age of 12, she was elected as the GlobalCoordinator for the UNEP Major Group for Children and

Youth. Though all of her predecessors had been adults , Ke-hkashan took on the task unhesitatingly. "I wanted to provethat age has nothing to do with capability," she explains.

ECO-WARRIORS UNITE!Kehkashan is engaged in causes addressing both genderbias, the lack of educational opportunities for children indeveloping nations, and environmental protection. But theissue at the core of her activism is the lack of opportunitiesfor youth involvement in the many sustainability processes,in particular in some UN bodies. For Kehkashan, the impor-tance of involving young people is self-evident: "It is ourfuture that is at stake, so it is imperative that we are involvedin all aspects of agenda-setting, policy making and imple-mentation. We do not want to inherent a dry, barren planet

just because we couldn't voice our opinion."

By founding her own organization, Green Hope, Kehkashanis working to get other young people involved. The organ-ization is run entirely by young people, with the youngestmember being seven and the oldest 27. "We do not haveadults telling us what to do. We chart our path ourselves. I

started the organization at 12 and over the years we havebecome a trailblazer in the eld of sustainability." She seeksout this same passion in other young eco-warriors in orderto set a new youth-driven sustainability agenda: "we wantpeople who actually care about the issue so it benets thecommunity as well as them, because they will get pleasurefrom the work. Whatever comes from the heart stays."

"When I turned eight I feltthat I was old enough to take

action myself"

"We do not want to inherenta dry, barren planet just because

we couldn't voice our opinion"

K E H K A S H A N B A S UFounder and President, Green Hope


27/148

CORPORATEACTIVISM

DELHI OPPORTUNITY PANEL

HARI HEGDEGlobal Head of Operations and Business, WIPRO Limited

"You need abundant curiosity and must look beyond theapparent." That is Hari's recipe for turning a risk into anopportunity. "It is about your ability to look into the future,connect trends, and use the same forces that work againstyou to your advantage." In brief, being a successful op-portunity leader is about "shaping your future strategy toleverage those emerging risks."

BEYOND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITYAs Head of Operations at Wipro, a global IT company basedin Bangalore, Hari appears to live and breathe this philos-

ophy. He prompted the Karnataka State Water Networkto improve the water situation in his city, implementedenergy efciency in all of Wipro's productions, and workedto improve urban mobility in Bangalore, together with localauthorities, to the benet of his own employees. "If I can get20 percent more of our employees into a better-servicedpublic transportation system, that is 7,000 vehicles off theroad; benets in decongestion, opportunity in reducedparking, higher productivity, and so on is far beyond whatyou are investing." In all of these cases, the initiative startedas a means of mitigating risks, but as soon as he exploredthe solutions available, "that's when opportunities of a muchgreater magnitude emerged."

Hari sees himself as part of a wider development in aglobally connected world. With new technologies andsocial media, people have the means to be heard and get

involved. "Businesses don't exist in isolation; they exist insocieties," he explains. And so, it is only right for business-es to get active. "It is beyond the ty pical corporate socialresponsibility. I think we left that far behind. We are talkingabout how you actively participate in a sus tainable worldand how by doing good business you also do good to theplanet. That is the idea. I might even take the libert y ofcalling it corporate activi sm."

THE INEVITABILIT Y OF INNOVATIONThis activism appears to come naturally to Hari. With every

investment he is involved in, he asks himself if this is an op-portunity to create a model that can become a self-regen-erating force multiplier. "That is what drives me, and that'swhat bothers me. Not to let go of opportunities and to makea difference. Every opportunity I do not make use of, is anopportunity I have lost."

This approach, according to Hari, is a self-evident conse-quence of simple awareness about the state of our planet."I call it the inevitability of innovation," he says. "If you lookat sustainability and what needs to be done, it is not rocketscience. Much of it is simple things. It is a shift in our thinkingprocess that is needed. Doing more with less is just a shiftin the way you think. The way we work today is not going towork forever."

"We are talking about howyou ac tively par ticipate in a

sustainable world and how bydoing good business you also do

good to the planet "

"If you look at sustainability andwhat needs to be done, it is not

rocket science"



28/148

THE BIGPICTURE

F L O R A L A NLeader of Greennovate

BEIJING OPPORTUNITY PANEL

A career in social entrepreneurship is not what Flora antic-ipated. As an economics student, she planned to work foran investment bank and have her many years of studyingpay off with a prestigious job. But her path changed whenshe discovered Greenovate, a sustainability consultancy,and started working on youth education: "I helped themspread the message of sustainability among young kids andhigh school students, and the students loved it." Travellingaround China to 14 provinces and hundreds of schools, Florasaw the costs of environmental damage with her own eyes.She could not think of more meaningful work than trying to

make change by changing mindsets.

CONNECTING THE DOTSNow the leader of Greenovate, Flora helps companies andnonprots develop their message and connect with stake-holders around the sustainability agenda. She is convincedwe need new narratives about the good life. "The way weare doing things under the current denition of success isnot going to work," she says. To make a change, her work fo-cuses on education and redening the way we do business,

adopting a more holistic approach. "How can governmentswork with businesses? How can businesses work with art?How can artists work with people in rural areas?" she asks."It's all connected, and people must play on their ownstrengths to make change happen."

Opportunity leaders are characterised by their belief insystemic change, and Flora is no exception. "Sustainabilityat the end of the day is about system-thinking," she says.

"When people realize that it's about system-thinking, theypractice it in every part of their lives. That's the bigger pic-ture I want to show."

NO FEAR OF FAILUREHaving built new opportunities and solutions from theground up, Flora knows what it means to take a risk. But fearof failure does not take up much space in her mind: "I'm nota risk thinker, I'm a trier.

When I try something, things may fall apart, or they maygrow. And when they fall apart, I just try again." Flora is partof a new generation of young change makers who see greatpotential in the challenges of our time. Inspired by the op-portunities for connecting across geographical and culturalboundaries, she is always looking for people who shareher mindset and mission. In the digital age, "You can ndpeople who share your passions and connect with them."From there, who knows what you can build. After all, thesedays "it's not about how big you are. It's about how big your

impact is."

"Sustainability at theend of the day is about

system-thinking"

"I'm not a risk thinker,I'm a trier"


29/148

BREATHINGOPPORTUNITIES

SIMON BIRKETTFounder and Director, Clean Air in London

LONDON OPPORTUNITY PANEL

An engineer turned banker, Simon stumbled into activ-ism through a lengthy battle with his local council against"rat-running" in his London neighborhood. As he lookedinto trafc congestion in his city, he soon found out aboutthe shocking state of the air he and his fellow Londonerswere breathing.

He decided to make air quality a problem that decisionmakers could not ignore. "I thought clean air was a perfectissue to campaign on, because it is an issue that peoplecan understand, but the re are also powerful laws in placeto actually force the politicians to get on with xing theproblem." Even more importantly, "if we do achieve cleanair, we will achieve many other objectives at the same time,such as less noise, bet ter quality of life, and better public

health and so on."

DISRUPTIVE DETERMINATIONSimon has shown great determination to turn a societal riskinto an opportunity. For Simon, achieving clean air is not justabout the absence of pollution. It is about the creation ofbetter societies and better lives.

"The opportunity is to tackle air pollution through a mixtureof political will, lifestyle changes and technology to reducelocal air pollution. And if we succeed, we can show the rest ofthe world how to achieve the wider sustainability objectives."he is now advicing the UN environment programme.

Simon will not be stopped by a lack of political will. Onthe contrary he has shown the determination to pursue allopportunities for increasing pressure on politicians. Througha mixture of media attention, avid social media use, juridicalinvestigation, constant contact with politicians, and aboveall vigilance, Simon has pushed clean air to the top of theagenda in London and beyond. He calls his own approach"disruptive in a constructive sense." To be successful, im-patience and tenacity are key. "The way to get big changesin any walk of life is to pursue transformation in a way thattakes the wall down overnight," he asserts.

TAKING DOWN WALLSSome of the walls Simon has worked on taking down includeforcing the successive governments to release ofcial gures

for the number of people affected by air pollution, prompt-ing parliamentary inquiries, and successfully encouragingthe European Commission take legal action against the UKon the issue of air pollution. This year was the rst time everthat the World Health Assembly held a debate about localair pollution, three years after the World Health Organizationdeclared diesel as carcinogenic to humans. Simon also prais-es the adoption of the new Sustainable Development Goals,which have placed local air pollution at the forefront of thepolitical agenda, and the Paris agreement at COP21, whichacknowledged the "right to human health." This is recogni-tion from the highest levels of world government that this isa big issue that must be addressed.

"...if we do achieve clean air, wewill achieve many other objectives

at the same time, such as lessnoise, better quality of life, andbetter public health and so on" "The way to get big changes

in any walk of life is to pursuetransformation in a way that takes

the wall down overnight"



30/148

MEANINGFULINVESTMENTS

KARISSA SAMUELFounder, Ntshulisa Foundation

JOHANNESBURG OPPORTUNITY PANEL

"I want to be part of the solution," Karissa explains, whilespeaking passionately about youth unemployment inSouth Africa. And being part of the solution for Karissameans disrupting business-as-usual. "How is a hungry,uneducated child going to benet from a pret ty wall?"

Companies in South Africa in particular love painting schoolsand planting unsustainable fruit gardens with no plan, nostrategy, and an illusion that a four by four spinach garden isgoing to feed a school of 400 kids."

IMPACT ACTIVISTKarissa is on a mission to expand the eld of social impactby showing companies they can use their resources betterand smarter by actually doing good, specically for unem-ployed youth. According to the Black Economic Empower-ment Act, South African companies are obliged to contrib-ute to the empowerment of black citizens. Her organization,The Ntshulisa Foundation, helps companies live up to theirlegal obligation in a meaningful way.

The quest has not always been easy, but with tenacityKarissa has won many critics over since starting TNF in 1998."Chief Financial Ofcers across the land did not like myface," she recalls. While companies were used to doing thebare minimum to meet their obligations, she insisted theyincrease their ambition for their own and their community's

sake. "We have to integrate sustainability strategies. Wecan't just think of the bottom line as a standard return on in-vestments we must think of a social return on investmentsas well."

WATCH CHANGE GROWIt is a question of making a social change alongside economicreturns. The crime, hopelessness, and societal fragmen-tation resulting from youth without prospects has directconsequences for businesses not to speak of the untappedpotential of thousands of young people who have never had

the chance to prove themselves . "Youth unemployment andeducation is not just a poor kid problem. It's an everyoneproblem," the South African opportunity leader concludes.

To seek opportunities for change, Karissa reaches out toboth the disempowered and the empowered: "I love to nd

a disenfranchised, exceptionally talented young person andthen just blast them with opportunities and watch themblossom. On the other end of the spectrum, I love dealingwith a visionary business leader and blast them with infor-mation and convince them why they should change." Overnearly two decades, the Ntshulisa Foundation has gainedmany long-term corporate partners and seen countlessyoung people grow up to live fullling lives as active mem -bers of society. Karissa's method is working.

"I want to be part ofthe solution"

"We must think of a social returnon investments"

"Youth unemploymentand education is not justa poor kid problem. It'san everyone problem"


31/148

SOLUTIONENTHUSIASM

JA N - OL A F WIL LU MSChairman, Inspire Invest and ZEM - Zero Emission Mobility

OSLO OPPORTUNITY PANEL

"I am a typical engineer. When I see an opportunity for asolution, I just have to do something about it." This enthu-siasm is a driving force in all of Jan-Olaf's work, and one hewould add to the list of characteristics of the opportunityleader. In addition to being a systems-thinker, having thecourage to challenge conventional thinking, and beingcapable of spotting the right mix of partners for change,Jan-Olaf believes an important trait is being impatient andoptimistic, especially in challenging times.

PIONEERING OPPORTUNITIES

In Jan-Olafs' own words, "today's challenges require a newkind of leader, who can spot synergies and connect ideasfrom one area to another." He has demonstrated this kind ofleadership throughout his career. For example, he was at theforefront of introducing electric cars, launching the THINK asthe rst fully EU-approved electric vehicle, in 2007.

Later, in order to convince people that electric cars actuallywork, he launched the concept of car-sharing for electriccars. This resulted in Move About, a European electriccar-sharing company for businesses Jan-Olaf founded and isChairman of today. """With this company, we introduced tocorporations what we know today as the sharing economy,allowing them to enter the arena with no risk and becomecomfortable with electric cars. This to me is turning a riskinto an opportunity."

The list of pioneering initiatives Jan-Olaf has been involvedwith is long. He was a co-founding director of the World

Business Council for Sustainable Development, put climateand CSR at the forefront of the agenda at Storebrand,Norway's largest nancial institution, and co-founded asolar company at a time when few believed in its feasibilityin a cloudy country like Norway. In 2009, he launched thefast-growing battery company ZEM, today a key player in thegreening of the shipping industry. "This is generally the case you see that sustainability can be tremendously usefulwhen you start early, take the risk to become a pioneer, andare willing to stay through long enough. Then you createopportunities by being rst at showing what this new world

could look like."

CHANGING MINDSETS TO MAKE A CHANGELooking at the wider shift towards the opportunity mindset,Jan-Olaf is optimistic: "When I was a young student, it wasconsidered radical to want to do something more with yourlife than simply earning money."

This is changing, Jan-Olaf believes. "An increasing numberof the big banks and nancial institutions, but also manysuccessful entrepreneurs, want to think fur ther ahead. Thatis why the trend towards impact investments is growingstronger and stronger." From his own experience as partof the Toniic Impact Investing Network, the trend is clear:"People want to make a change, not just make money."

"today's challenges require anew kind of leader, who can spot

synergies and connec t ideas fromone area to another"

"When I was a young student, it wasconsidered radical to want to do

something more with your life thansimply earning money"



32/148

A PERFECTPUBLIC PARTNER

DEMETRA J. MCBRIDEDirector, Ofce of Sustainability, County of Santa Clara

SAN FRANCISCO OPPORTUNITY PANEL

Twelve years ago, Demetra left her job as a lawyer andproducer in the lm industry after a chance encounter withAl Gore and the cause of climate response at a dinner partyleft her "riveted, captivated, inspired, feeling as thoughthere was a great deal of focus and purpose there." Drivenby this purpose ever since, she has worked tirelessly, rst inFlorida and now in California, to bring together the best sus-tainable innovators in cutting-edge public projects. Today,as Director of Santa Clara County's O fce of Sustainabilityand Climate, she spearheads initiatives as innovative as theSilicon Valley, the region she calls home.

INNOVATIVE GOVERNMENTPursuing public-private partnerships is key to her effort s.Enabling her success is her ofce's large network of con-tacts, from Silicon Valley and non-prots to governmentalagencies, research institutions, and universities. Whateverthe sector, she looks for opportunity leaders who "see howan impact in one system cascades into others and how youcan use that dynamic to develop ideas that have a multi-di-mensional impact." Exactly because of its complexity andfar-reaching implications, Demetra thinks "sustainability isbecoming more of a standard in organisations both in theprivate and public sectors."

Creating the right partnerships is not without its challenges,however. "In my work with the private sector, I constantlyhear 'we really want to work with government but it's hardto trust them to be nimble, responsive and innovative'." Torespond to this need, Demetra is working to create innova-

tion incentives "where we are more in focus, more on thefast track and more exible in terms of innovation, so we canwork more on the same clock as the private sector."

CHANGING THE CONVERSATIONDemetra's approach is working. With the Silicon Valley 2.0project, she and her team have spent four years creating aregional climate adaptation platform that shifts the focusfrom climate mitigation to adaption, emphasising the cost ofinaction rather than action. The platform not only includesa geospatial map of climate impacts for 2050 and 2100, but

also 40 asset layer maps for of areas such as transportation,energy, water, and communications infrastructure, as well as

ecosystem services, parcels, and buildings. "The tool allowsyou to assess the economic impacts of the loss of thoseassets. When people were introduced to the tool, the con-versation got quite different." Where people previously saw

climate adaptation as a far-off and expensive reality, theynow see it as a necessary current investment. "We nd thatadaptation has become, in California and places like Miamiand New York, a means to optimise the present and liberatethe future," she says.

"sustainability is becomingmore of standard in organi-sations both in the private

and public sectors"

"We find that adaptation hasbecome, a very keen interest

and a key focus"


33/148

SUSTAINABLEDISRUPTION

MATHIAS AZEREDO DE ALMEIDASustainability Director, Marfrig Global Foods

SAO PAULO OPPORTUNITY PANEL

"In the short term, sustainability is good for the companyin a marketing sense, and in the medium- and long-termsustainability ensures that you have a product in the future."This mindset neatly captures Mathias approach to sustain-ability. He has led the s ustainability efforts of the Brazilian

beef trader Marfrig since Greenpeace launched a 2009report castigating Marfrig, Bertin, JBS, and other leadingcattle companies for driving Amazon deforestation andclimate change.

WORKING THE VALUE CHAINIn response to Greenpeace's erce criticism, Marfrig theworld's fourth-largest beef trader immediately took a leadin ending destruction in the Amazon. "We are trying to de-velop the idea that by buying from farmers who are respon-sible, people will support the c ause of ghting deforestationand environmental damage." The company's entire valuechain has undergone dramatic changes to protect both

labourers and the planet. Mathias hopes to encourage theentire industry to think differently: "We cannot solve thisproblem alone. We are sharing the results and benets toget more awareness from people, and after COP21, I expectwe will see more commitments from other companies, too."For Mathias, these initiatives are driven by measured cal-

culation rather than moral obligation. "I am not an environ-mentalist," he asserts. Rather, he understands that if hisindustry does not take care of the environment, there will beno business to run in a few decades. "For the meat industry,sustainability is really a strategic issue. Not everyone realisesthis, but they will." Indeed, sustainability and business arebecoming increasingly interlinked, according to Mathias."Sustainability is facilitating business, and this trend will onlyincrease," he predicts. "While quality of the end product isthe most important thing for sales now, in 20 years, sustaina-bility will be just as important."

SHIFTING VALUES"What drives this change is really the consumer, becausebusinesses will always be driven by the bottom line. After all,sustainability is important, but we need economics."

While a company like Marfrig is driven by the demands

of big buyers like Sainsbury's and McDonald's, the endconsumers set the agenda. That is why civil engagementis crucial. "We are going through changing times, but thefuture will depend a lot on consumers."

"We cannot solvethis problem alone"

"Sustainability is facilitatingbusiness, and this trend will only

increase "

"We are going through changingtimes, but the future will depend

a lot on consumers"



34/148

WELCOME TO

A WORLD OFOPPORTUNITIES


35/148


36/148

30 OPPORTUNITIES

Opportunities from the Global OpportunityReport 2015 and 15 new.

2015Read about the opportunities on this pagein the Global Opportunity Report 2015

WATER-EFFIC IENTAGRICU LTURE

Traditional approaches and modern technol-ogy can be combined to create agriculture

that withdraws less water and producesmore crops.

FRESH WATERPRODUCTION

New technologies and use of renewableenergy can make desalination and purica-tion viable options to meet water demandsin arid environments.

SMART WATERREGULATION

Clever regulation can dramatically reducethe withdrawal of water in many contextsand open the area up to private investment.

Though access to water is protectedunder international human rights law, lackof fresh water threatens health and socialcohesion and also poses risks to food andenergy security.

OPPORTUNITIES:

LACK OF

FRESH WATER

COMBAT NCDS WITHMOBILE TECHNOLOGIES

Mobile technologies have an almost universalreach that can be converted into better access

to health services and stronger health systems.

INNOVATIVE FIN ANCE FOR AHEALTHY GENERATION

New nancial mechanisms can acceleratesocial policy innovation and include privatesector nance for health initiatives targetingearly childhood.

EVERYDAY HEALTHENABLERS

Environments that facilitate health in theform of nutritious food choices or sufcientamounts of daily physical activity can greatlyreduce NCDs.

Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs),including cardiovascular diseases, cancers,diabetes, and chronic lung diseases, posea siginicant threat to lives, livelihoods andeconomic development globally.

OPPORTUNITIES:

NON-COMMUNICABLE

DISEASES

COMPACT, GREENAND CON NECTED C ITIES

Developing emerging cities in a compact,green and connected manner can reduce

the capital cost of infrastructure and result inmore attractive cities.

RURAL GROWTHINITIATIVES

Creating job opportunities and fosteringgrowth in rural areas can relieve migrationpressure and alleviate overcrowding in cities.

SMART CITIES

Big data and real-time data analytics andresponses can make better use of availableresources in stressed urban areas.

200,000 people migrate to cities everyday. If not managed properly, the cost ofcongestion, pollution, and the detrimentalhealth effects of such rapidly growing citiesthreaten future prosperity.

OPPORTUNITIES:

UNSUSTAINABLE

URBANIZATION

EARLY WARNING ANDFORECASTING SERVICES

Strong forecasting services can protectmillions of people from extreme weather and

have numerous business applications.

INVESTMENTS IN RESILIENCE

Channeling institutional investors' assetstowards resilience-building can play aninstrumental role in protecting societiesfrom extreme weather.

COST-EFFECTIVEADAPTATION

The necessary expenditure on climate resil-ience can be turned into pioneering projectscreating a more sustainable future.

Extreme weather events are likely to bemore frequent and more severe in thecoming decades. The concentration of peo-ple in vulnerable areas exacerbatesthe impacts.

OPPORTUNITIES:

EXTREME

WEATHER

REGULATED ENERGYTRANSITION

Regulatory initiatives can accelerate thetransition to cleaner and more efcient

energy generation and provide dynamicincentives for innovation.

ENERGY AUTONOMY

Autonomous energy generation throughoff-grid or micro-grid renewable sources istackling energy poverty and reinventing therole of households in energy systems.

GREEN CONSUMERCHOICES

Consumers' concerns about the environ-ment and climate change can be translatedinto sustainable choices and initiate largerstructural changes.

In the energy system, lock-in to fossil fuelsinhibits not only the immediate reductionsin GHG emissions but also public andprivate efforts to introduce alternativeenergy technologies.

OPPORTUNITIES:

LOCK-IN TO

FOSSIL FUELS


37/148

2016

ANT IBI OTI C-F REE

FOOD

Though still a niche in the food market, increa-sing consumer awareness is paving the way for

a growing market in antibiotic-free food.NEW BUSINESS

MODEL FOR ANTIBIOTICS

A mix of innovative approaches to R&D, newforms of nancing mechanisms and regulatorytools can help bring novel antibiotics to themarket. It is an entirely new business model.

PRECISION

TREATMENT

New diagnostic tools can help d octorsprescribe narrow spectrum antibiotics whichonly target the bad bacteria at play. Precisediagnose for precision treatment bring downoveruse of antibiotics.

The 2016 Global Opportunity Report

Documents

Transcript of The 2016 Global Opportunity Report