75% of global consumers feel that environmental sustainability is as important or more to them now than it was last year. Additionally, 66% of consumers rank sustainability as one of the top five drivers behind a purchase decision – up from 50% last year, this according to a 2022 Global Sustainability Study. The results from the study? Sustainability is much more than a trend for companies – it’s the requirement everywhere today, all around the world.

GroupM East and Central Africa, a media investment management group within WPP Scangroup, recently held an informative summit, titled: Sustainability in the Kenyan context: Collaborating to translate sustainability from concept to ACTION. The well attended event, held on Friday, May 12^th, 2023 at The Fairmont Norfolk Hotel, Nairobi, saw discussions center around the urgent need and case for businesses to adopt sustainable practices, reduce their environmental footprint, and create positive social impact. Companies across all industries today must pay attention to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. It is no longer just seen as just the ‘western world’ issue.

Today, more than 90% of CEOs say that sustainability is fundamental for success (Forbes). Evidence of the modern CEO’s state of mind is seen in how much attention companies are putting toward their sustainability strategies. A sustainable brand is one that has successfully integrated environmental, economic and social issues into its business operations.

The highlight of the summit was a powerful panel discussion comprising of Jane Karuku – Group MD and CEO, EABL, Yebeltal Getachew (YG) – CEO, East Africa Twiga Foods, Brenda Mbathi – President, GE, Reshma Shah – Group Director Sustainability, Equity Group Holdings in Conversation with Edwin Macharia, of Dalberg Group.

GroupM partnered with the Dalberg Group and Kantar in organizing the summit whose aim was to empower, educate, and equip individuals and their businesses with the right tools, information, and execution blueprint to action and align sustainability with their business goals.