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Merei Wagenaar about 25 Years of Progress at New Business Radio LIVE!
By UN Global Compact NL
02.09.2025, 08:13
Last week, our Executive Director Merei Wagenaar joined New Business Radio LIVE! The Thursday afternoon show that puts entrepreneurship, innovation, and personal growth in the spotlight. The program is known for its fast pace and mix of inspiring business stories, fresh scientific insights, and surprising tips. This episode was no exception, filled with energy and variety, including a conversation on 25 years of UN Global Compact and the key lessons we’ve learned about responsible business along the way.
>> Listen to the Dutch-language live broadcast over here
KEY TAKE-AWAYS
What 25 years of UN Global Compact has taught us
1. From multinationals to SMEs: where large corporations once took the lead, we now see small and medium-sized enterprises and family businesses structurally embracing sustainability.
2. Collaboration is crucial: not only within companies, but also across supply chains. Questions like “Where do my raw materials come from?” and “How can I work with my suppliers to become more sustainable?” are moving to the center of business strategy.
3. Measuring matters: many companies overestimate their performance. Only through genuine measurement can organizations gain insight into where improvements are still needed.
4. Sustainability inspires employees: people increasingly want to work for companies that commit to people and planet. It has become a powerful source of pride and talent attraction.
A Deep-Dive Into The Live Interview
What does UN Global Compact do?
“It’s the world’s largest network dedicated to sustainability,” explains Merei Wagenaar, Executive Director of UN Global Compact Netherlands. “We connect entrepreneurs, translate lessons from practice into action, and give companies a platform to showcase their progress, both nationally and internationally.”
That platform matters, because it allows companies that truly want to make a difference to share their innovations and results. Think of multinationals like Philips, which demonstrates its contributions to global healthcare, but also of Dutch SMEs and family businesses that are increasingly taking the lead.
How to drive progress inside organizations?
Many companies have passionate sustainability managers who believe deeply in the need for change, but the hardest part is engaging the whole organization.
“That’s why we organize peer learning sessions. Sustainability managers share how they made climate goals part of the conversation internally. If one company shows exactly how they got their management on board, others immediately ask: Can I use that slide too? That’s how we help each other move forward.” - Merei Wagenaar
Whereas 25 years ago the focus was still on getting the movement started, today it’s all about accelerating and deepening progress. However, some people are beginning to wonder whether a sense of ‘sustainability fatigue’ is setting in.
“It’s no longer the obvious open door it may have seemed a few years ago. In the U.S., for example, diversity and inclusion have come under pressure. Yet many companies continue to push ahead internally, they’re just less vocal about it.” - Merei Wagenaar
The movement hasn’t disappeared; it’s simply taking on new forms. Many collaborations start spontaneously: companies meet, realize they face similar challenges, and from that connection, new ideas and solutions emerge. UN Global Compact plays an active role in fostering this exchange and creating space for cooperation.
“On October 15, we will come together at a major conference in Leusden. These moments are valuable: sharing knowledge almost naturally leads to new collaborations.” - Merei Wagenaar
Leaders of Progress Summit 2025
After 25 years, one lesson has become clearer than ever: responsible business cannot be done alone. The future calls for companies that don’t wait, but instead learn, accelerate, and move forward together. That’s why we invite you to celebrate this milestone with us and keep building together, at our 25th Anniversary Summit on October 15 in Leusden.