My four predictions for the sustainability agenda this year

Vern Pitt

It鈥檚 always foolish to make predictions for the year ahead but I鈥檓 going to do it anyway and take a stab at what significant developments we鈥檒l see in sustainability this year.

1) The Green Deal and Energy Companies Obligation will be changed for the better. I don鈥檛 really see how the policy can get much less impressive and there鈥檚 still a desire in the government to make it work.

2) Biodiversity will be the the bold new frontier of sustinability. It鈥檚 not been at the forefront of many industry minds in the past but plans to introduce a 鈥渂iodiversity offsetting鈥� system are going to push this up the agenda.

3) The Renewable Heat Incentive鈥檚 launch will be a success. Unlike the Green Deal, industry expectations of this policy鈥檚 potential have been kept in check, meaning it鈥檚 quite possible that they will be met.

4) Firms will reach agreement on how we report their sustainability credentials. This is perhaps more of a hope than a prediction but it seems inevitable, if clients are to weigh up competitors, that some agreed forms of reporting must emerge beyond the (often unhelpful) things companies have to record by law.

Let鈥檚 see how far off the mark I am in 12 months鈥� time. If you鈥檝e got your own ideas on what 2014 holds for sustainability, leave your comments below.

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