Geopolitics, Sustainability, and How Multilateralism Shapes Corporate Action on the SDGs: A View Through the Lens of Climate Change and the Paris Agreement

This chapter explores the impact of geopolitical and multilateral dynamics on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a focus on SDG 13 (climate action). Anchored in the Three-Pillar Model (3-P Model)—Sustainable Purpose, Travelling Organization, and Connectivity—it examines how the Paris Agreement of 2015 is influencing state and non-state strategies in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) global landscape, driving adaptation to climate change challenges. While governments have historically led global efforts on issues like climate change, the private sector increasingly plays a critical role in both financing and implementation, aligning itself more closely with international governance frameworks. This chapter highlights how multilateralism fosters connectivity and collaboration among nations and with the private and non-governmental sectors, enabling businesses to shift from a narrow focus on short-term profit to becoming proactive agents of sustainable development. Through multilateral frameworks, non-state actors can transcend complex geopolitical forces, and companies can embed sustainability into their core operations and drive innovation, thus evolving into travelling organizations with a global purpose. The conclusion revisits the 3-P Model, drawing together the insights on how the interaction between non-state actors, geopolitics, and sustainability is reshaping the corporate world and its role in global governance.