Winning the Race to Net Zero: The CEO Guide to Climate Advantage

The report highlights that while global climate action is accelerating, it remains insufficient to meet 1.5°C targets. It posits that companies acting as 'early movers' can secure advantages in talent attraction, revenue growth, cost reduction, and capital access. The document warns that businesses often underestimate the pace of technological and policy shifts, risking stranded assets. It provides a comprehensive framework for CEOs to achieve net-zero through strategy, operations, portfolio management, and organizational transformation.

• Global national commitments to net-zero have increased rapidly, with 92 countries representing 78% of global emissions having made sincere commitments as of the report's date.
• Corporate climate action is accelerating but remains insufficient; only 9% of companies achieved an annual emissions reduction of more than 4%, which is the linear reduction required for a 1.5°C pathway.
• Companies frequently underestimate the speed of low-carbon technology progress and policy changes, which can lead to stranded assets. For example, some fossil-fuel assets in developed economies may become stranded within a few years.
• Climate leaders gain a competitive edge in talent acquisition, as approximately 40% of millennials have chosen a job based on a company's superior sustainability performance.
• Decarbonization can be cost-effective; on average, companies across major sectors can achieve approximately 50% of emissions reductions at net-zero cost through energy efficiency and renewable power.
• Sustainability leaders secure cheaper financing, with a correlation showing they obtain capital at an average of approximately 100 basis points less than sector laggards.
• Early movers in decarbonization reduce regulatory risk; in five emissions-intensive industries, those who decarbonize early could see EBIT margins 2 to 12 percentage points higher than laggards under the EU's proposed carbon border adjustment mechanism by 2030.
• The economic impact of full value-chain decarbonization on end-customer prices is relatively low, with most products estimated to become only 1% to 4% more expensive.
• A credible net-zero strategy must prioritize deep emission cuts across Scopes 1, 2, and 3, using carbon removals only for the final 5% to 10% of unavoidable emissions by 2050.

APA

World Economic Forum (2022). Winning the Race to Net Zero: The CEO Guide to Climate Advantage. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Winning_the_Race_to_Net_Zero_2022.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Winning the Race to Net Zero: The CEO Guide to Climate Advantage. 2022. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Winning_the_Race_to_Net_Zero_2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Winning the Race to Net Zero: The CEO Guide to Climate Advantage |date=January 2022 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Winning_the_Race_to_Net_Zero_2022.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2022winning, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Winning the Race to Net Zero: The CEO Guide to Climate Advantage}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2022}, month = jan, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Winning_the_Race_to_Net_Zero_2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }