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Swiss Boards for Agenda 2030 (SBA2030) is an alliance co-initiated by Jonathan Normand, CEO of B Lab Switzerland, and André Hoffmann, Vice-Chairman of Roche. It is an alliance of Swiss CEOs and Board Members committing their company to a high level of board accountability to drive sustainability. Member companies are diverse in size, sectors and sustainability maturity. They all share the strong desire to place sustainability at the heart of their strategy and board agenda. They will benefit from sustainability training for their board and face-to-face and virtual events to foster collaboration and best practice exchanges.

Jonathan Normand (Founder & CEO of B Lab Switzerland) and André Hoffmann (Vice-Chairman of Roche) have joined forces to onboard companies for the launch in Davos the 23rd of May. Initial signatories are companies that together represent the diversity of Swiss industries as well as the different stages of the sustainability transition.

The SBA2030 is one of the highest profile national initiatives that B Lab Switzerland has launched, building on the success of the Swiss Triple Impact (STI) programme. It aims to bring credible sustainability training to board members and C-levels, and to build support for sustainability strategies from top-levels management.

To join the SBA2030, a company has to have a turnover of more than CHF15mio and a well structured board. Besides, it has to commit to: Train their board for sustainability: Either through the 1-Day Masterclass offered by IMD to the members of the SBA2030 or through other accredited sustainability online/offline programmes, two third of the members of the boards should have followed a sustainability training.

The Members of the SBA2030 are leading companies from Switzerland that are committed to a high level of board accountability to drive sustainability and business resilience. Together, they represent: different regions of Switzerland, different industries, different sizes (yet all being significantly large with 15+mio turnover and a well structured board) different stages in the sustainability journey. Indeed, some are starting to make their public pledges, whereas others are already B-Corp certified They all share the strong and honest desire to drive the sustainability transition.

Access best-in-class training and develop a comprehensive roadmap to accelerate your progress: The Masterclass at IMD and #SBA2030 Playbook compile the best practices, learnings and insights from CEOs and boards of leading businesses who have successfully placed the SDGs at the core of their strategies. In addition, it gives them access to concrete tools to help them drive the change internally. These tools are already used by thousands of Swiss and global companies to measure their social and environmental performance. They include the B Impact Assessment tool, the SDG Action Manager tool and the Swiss Triple Impact programme. Be part of an impact-driven community of CEOs and Board Members: By working with other CEOs, business leaders and policymakers who are ready to deliver the SDG Agenda 2030, they can multiply their impact and together create the 21st century market infrastructure needed to deliver this change. These commitments and alliances are essential to deliver our shared well-being on a healthy planet.

Companies that already have a strategy to meet the SDGs can reach out to us and we will evaluate and validate the strategy without them having to follow all the steps of the STI programme.

It was created from a triple observation. 1. We need a top down sustainability approach, through strong commitments from companies’ boards and CEOs to reach the SDGs by 2030 2. We need collective action to create momentum and achieve scale. 3. Corporate governance must reflect the needs of all stakeholders, and by-law change supports this positioning.

1. There is urgency to act with only 7 years left to meet the SDGs. 2. Following the adoption of the Swiss Confederation’s sustainability strategy in June 2021, public awareness keeps increasing and companies must accelerate this transition. 3. Our ecosystem of B-Corps and the STI programme are well developed and continue to gain significant traction, it is therefore a good time to engage boards within and beyond our ecosystem.

Steer by the B Lab Switzerland Business Council committee (BBC), under the co-chair of Jonathan Normand and André Hoffmann and composed of up to 10 members, the committee will be reviewing any significant decisions regarding the SBA2030. This committee will be formed of members of the SBA2030 and partners, allowing broad engagement. All the alliance members of the SBA2030 are welcome to submit proposals to the committee for approval. The committee meets quarterly.

You can find the list of all the B Corps in Switzerland on our website. B Corp certified companies are already very engaged in their sustainability transition. Yet, B Corps also have a key role in the SBA2030; their experience and knowledge of the sustainability practices, as well as their role as sustainability advocates, is central to driving the sustainability transition. Through the SBA2030, we believe it is critical to engage companies (and their boards) that are at all stages of their sustainability transition. By joining the alliance, companies will also be able to share their best practices and foster collaboration with other members, so that they can collectively accelerate the transition to a sustainable and regenerative economy.

Companies’ failure to address the negative impact they have on environment, inequality and inclusion has led to some of the major issues that humanity faces today. To deliver the SDGs, stakeholder capitalism must become THE economic model. Businesses and particularly CEOs and board members have a major role to play in providing lasting solutions to the social and environmental challenges we face. The SBA2030’s purpose is to engage Board Members in Switzerland to design and build positive impact companies that contribute rigorously to Agenda 2030. Through the SBA2030, we are promoting the interdependence principle, foundation of B Lab’s theory of change : “We envision a global economy that uses business as a force for good. This economy comprises a new type of corporation - designed for stewardship - which is purpose-driven and creates benefit for all stakeholders, not just shareholders. As leaders of this emerging economy, we believe: That we must be the change we seek in the world. That all business ought to be conducted as if people and place mattered. That, through their products, practices, and profits, businesses should aspire to do no harm and benefit all. To do so requires that we act with the understanding that we are each dependent upon another and thus responsible for each other and future generations.”