In April 2013 the sustainability consultancy Solability published the second edition of its Global Sustainable Competitive Index.
According to the executive summary, “The Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index scores and ranks 176 countries according to their capability to sustain or increase wealth in a resource-constraint, globalised world. The Index was first developed and published in 2012, based on a competitiveness model that incorporates all aspects required to sustain wealth, the environment, and social cohesion. The four main pillars of the model are: natural capital (the availability of natural resources), resource efficiency (as a measurement of industrial competitiveness), sustainable innovation (as a measurement of the capability to sustain economic activities in a competitive global market) and social cohesion (the foundations of smooth operation and secure investments).”
The Sustainable Competiveness Ranking reveals some surprising, and other not-so-surprising results:
- The Sustainable Competitiveness Index is topped by four Scandinavian countries, followed by other North-Western European Nations. The only non-European countries in the top 20 are Canada (9), Japan (12), and New Zealand (14).
- The world’s largest economy, the US, is ranked 27.
- Of the booming emerging economies, Brazil is ranked 28, South Korea 30, China 38, Russia 48, and India 126.”
You may download the report on the sustainability publications page of the Solability internet site.