Sustainability ambitions fail to translate into action, PMI study finds

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 13 – A new study by the Project Management Institute and Green Project Management has found a growing gap between sustainability ambitions and their implementation, with organisations struggling to turn their commitments into measurable results.

The study, which surveyed nearly 1,600 professionals across 35 countries, found that while 85 percent of sustainability executives are confident their organisations will achieve their goals, only 43 percent of Project Management Office leaders share that confidence.

Among project professionals responsible for implementation, only 20 percent are extremely confident.

The study also found that although 79 percent consider sustainability important to long-term success, only 41 percent say it is fully integrated into projects and daily operations.

The report identified difficulty measuring sustainability benefits, weak integration into decision-making, unclear goals and competing priorities among the main barriers to implementation.

It also found that 59 percent of organisations have not fully integrated sustainability into project delivery and operational decisions.

PMI Sub-Saharan Africa Managing Director George Asamani said organisations need to focus more on implementation.

“Sustainability is no longer a separate conversation from business performance. Across the continent, governments and businesses have set bold targets and made significant commitments. The real challenge is delivery. A strategy does not build a power station, expand broadband access, or improve water security – projects do.”