What We’d Tell CEOs About the Elephant in the Boardroom

The authors caution CEOs that current business models based on increased consumption are unsustainable given that the global middle class is expected to grow by 3 billion people between 2009 and 2030. They argue that while efficiency helps, companies must shift toward sharing, repair, and service-based models to avoid exceeding the planet's capacity to provide raw materials, energy, and water.

• The global middle class is projected to grow by 3 billion people between 2009 and 2030, driven by population growth and poverty reduction in developing markets such as China and India.
• Current projections suggest that the volume of materials required could be three times higher by 2050 than it was in 2000, potentially exceeding the world's ability to supply necessary water, energy, and raw materials.
• Relying solely on increased consumption for growth is a risky strategy; instead, companies should adopt innovative models such as product sharing, repair, or shifting from selling goods to providing services.
• Corporate sustainability teams often avoid discussing consumption because it challenges the core business models that have driven financial success for the last century, focusing instead on efficiency and climate change.

APA

Moss'], [. B. '. (2017). What We’d Tell CEOs About the Elephant in the Boardroom. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/insights/what-wed-tell-ceos-about-elephant-boardroom

Chicago

Moss'], ['Manish Bapna', 'Kevin. What We’d Tell CEOs About the Elephant in the Boardroom. World Resources Institute, 2017. https://www.wri.org/insights/what-wed-tell-ceos-about-elephant-boardroom.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Moss'] |first1=['Manish Bapna', 'Kevin |title=What We’d Tell CEOs About the Elephant in the Boardroom |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=6 July 2017 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/what-wed-tell-ceos-about-elephant-boardroom |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{moss2017what, author = {Moss'], ['Manish Bapna', 'Kevin}, title = {{What We’d Tell CEOs About the Elephant in the Boardroom}}, publisher = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2017}, month = jul, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/what-wed-tell-ceos-about-elephant-boardroom}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }