Many of the world’s most powerful brands were established when we had a seemingly endless supply of water, farmland and human capital. If companies wanted to expand their production or open a new facility, they did so with little concern about the availability of resources to support the operation. Today’s executives, however, are faced with a barrage of crises related to water and energy scarcity, talent shortages and extreme weather events that put their facilities and ability to meet customer demand at constant risk.
This report explores labour, physical and natural resource challenges. It is based on a survey of 800 respondents in four industries and five regions around the world and on the Global Resource Management Index, which explores the interplay of indicators of resource use, sustainability, capacity and regulatory context in the same four industries and five regions. The included industries—food & beverage, hospitality services, consumer goods and healthcare services—are among those that typically face a mix of resource challenges globally and have proven innovative in addressing them.