The Responsible Business Education Awards presented by Financial Times is a prestigious international prize that awarded academic research with significant impact on society and sustainability: an award dedicated to specific projects influencing policy and economy, with a focus on innovation and climate impact.
Among the 2023 winners of the 2023 edition stands out the scientific research that led to the paper "Business for ocean sustainability: Early responses of ocean governance in the private sector", published in the prestigious journal Ambio. The research was distinguished by its pioneering vision and ability to highlight the crucial importance of the ocean in addressing current climate change challenges,, once again underscoring One Ocean Foundation a international leader to guide companies towards a more sustainable economy.
The Responsible Business Education Awards annually select academic research with the greatest impact on society: publications and outreach activities contributing to making a difference in the surrounding world. The projects were evaluated by a select panel of judges who paid special attention to issues related to innovation and sustainability.
According to the Financial Times, the 2023 edition's submissions reflect a significant improvement in the quality of sustainability-related educational materials, highlighting new ways of conducting research in an increasingly inclusive manner.
Business for Ocean Sustainability project has been recognized by the Financial Times as an excellent fusion of academic research and practice, addressing a notoriously understudied topic. The Responsible Business Education Awards 2023 thus confirmed that the commitment to ocean sustainability is essential for the future of our planet.
The winning article of the Responsible Business Education Awards is part of the broader research project "Business for ocean sustainability," developed by One Ocean Foundation in collaboration with SDA Bocconi, McKinsey & Company, and CSIC (the Spanish National Research Council).
The goal is to reaffirm the central role of businesses in safeguarding a healthy ocean, gathering information on how they address challenges related to the protection of marine and coastal ecosystems in terms of both awareness and actions taken to address them.
The project also involved 56 scientists from prominent research institutions, analyzing the direct and indirect pressures of companies in 20 countries and associated with 17 different industrial sectors. Using natural language processing and artificial intelligence, the research team examined how seriously a large sample of companies address ocean-related challenges. The results demonstrated that SDG 14 is unfortunately among the least prioritized for companies. Moreover, only half of them were aware of the impact and challenges related to the ocean in their sectors.
The key aspect of the research is the creation of the Ocean Disclosure Initiative, the first global framework aimed at raising awareness of pressures on the ocean, fostering transparency on key data and providing a methodology for assessing business risks related to marine ecosystems.
