Government involvement in sustainability initiatives

Sustainability initiatives are an important tool in the mix of policy options to help companies meet responsible business conduct (RBC) expectations. As the landscape of initiatives grows in scale and complexity, governments are engaging with them in diverse ways, from participating in their governance and funding, to referencing them in policy guidance and using them in their own activities, like public procurement. This policy brief draws on the OECD Sustainability Initiative Dataset, a pilot database of over 1 000 sustainability initiatives, to map the different modes of government engagement. It finds that most initiatives operate independently of direct government involvement, and that governments frequently reference initiatives in non-binding policy. Regardless of the mode of their engagement, governments should seek to understand the credibility and fit-for-purpose nature of sustainability initiatives before endorsing, recognising or using them in their own decision making.