Why should growing inequalities matter to business? A quarter of the world’s economic gains go to the richest 1%, while half of the population receives just 12%. Almost half of the wealth globally belongs to 1% of the population, while half of the population lives with 2%. Are these blatantly harsh numbers a risk to companies? Is it a threat to a business’s license to operate?

In this week’s episode, we talk to Peter Bakker about inequality as a systems-level risk, at the same level of climate emergency end environmental degradation. We discuss whether companies are recognizing the urgency of addressing this issue and whether initiatives like securing a living wage are gaining traction in mainstream business conversations.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE’S GUEST

Peter Bakker has been the President and CEO of WBCSD since 2012. WBCSD is a global, CEO-led organization of over 200 leading businesses working together to accelerate the transition to a sustainable world.

Mr. Bakker is a distinguished business leader who, until June 2011, served as CFO and then CEO of TNT NV, the global transport and logistics company. He has been the recipient of the Clinton Global Citizen Award (2009) and the Sustainability Leadership Award (2010). Mr. Bakker serves as a member of several corporate sustainability advisory boards.