Responsible leaders and the Sustainable Development Goals: possible perfect match or wishful thinking? The case of the chemical sector in Belgium

According to scientists around the world, it is time to make urgent and unprecedented changes in order to continue to live in the world as we used to know it. The United Nations consider that we have only 12 years left from 2018 on to limit the catastrophe of climate change. Actors worldwide such as governments, the private sector, civil society and citizens are incited to act upon this common problematic and leave a better planet for future generations. The seventeen Sustainable Development Goals provide a tangible and common guideline to help those actors achieving worldwide changes in a defined timeline, namely before 2030. The world needs leaders in order to take up the challenge and guide at their level the collective action. Business leaders have a particular responsibility in moving towards more inclusive and sustainable economic models. In this context, the chemical sector has a key role to play as it is considered as uniquely placed to act. Therefore, we need new generations of leaders in order to tackle those challenges in this volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world. This master thesis brings together the perceptions of experts via interviews on the topic of the Sustainable Development Goals, their link with Responsible Leadership and with the chemical sector in Belgium and draws conclusions on the actual situation.