This report presents the results of a study on the concept of “sustainable value creation” in Belgian listed companies. According to the 2020 Belgian Code on Corporate Governance, sustainable value creation involves an explicit focus on the long term, on responsible behaviour at all levels of the company, and on the permanent consideration of the legitimate interests of stakeholders.

The study has been commissioned by the Belgian Corporate Governance Committee. Its goal is to evaluate how and to which extent Belgian listed companies understand and implement sustainable value creation (or more shortly, ‘sustainability’). It is based on a mixed-methods research design combining a literature review, qualitative interviews, and a survey sent to representatives of listed companies. This report focuses on the findings of the empirical study.

Overall, we find that most Belgian listed companies have started their sustainability transition and are in the process of fully embedding sustainable value creation into their purpose, strategy, operations, reporting, and governance. However, it is described as a complex process that requires time, efforts, money, and other resources.