The external environment surrounding businesses remains highly uncertain, marked by the increasing severity of natural disasters associated with climate change and the prolonged persistence of geopolitical tensions. At the same time, sustainability has moved far beyond the realm of a “supplementary initiative” and has fully become a core management priority. Practical demands are intensifying at an operational level, from mandatory sustainability disclosures, to human rights and environmental due diligence across the entire supply chain, to the implementation of decarbonization transition strategies, and even to ensuring that each employee develops the necessary understanding and translates it into concrete behavioral change.

This year, in addition to gaining a clear understanding of the latest policy and market developments in the United States, Europe, and Southeast Asia, we will explore how business leaders should confront sustainability in this era of uncertainty. In particular, rather than remaining at the level of idealistic argument, we will squarely address the difficult trade-offs that exist in reality. On that basis, we will examine sustainability from multiple perspectives as a strategy for achieving both competitive advantage and sustainable growth.