The State Of Sustainability Transformation 2026
ENVIRONMENT & SOCIETY
This article summarizes the key findings from the World In Balance 2026 Report from the Capgemini Research Institute. It provides an overview of how leaders perceive climate change and sustainability and how they transform their own organization to tackle the environmental challenge.
I read most studies from major international firms in detail to form my own opinion on the reality of corporate transformation.
Regarding sustainable transformation, the Capgemini Research Institute study 'A World in Balance' is well worth a read.
Among the key takeaways for me:
· Organizations are aware of the negative impact of climate change on their own business but they struggle to measure it.
Only 15% of organizations have fully quantified the financial impact of climate-related disruptions. Despite the fact that more than 80% of organizations are aware of the negative consequences of climate change on their own business, a small minority is effectively measuring it
· Geopolitical pressures are reframing sustainability as a resilience imperative.
65% agree that sustainability decisions in our organization now increasingly balance emission goals with resilience, security, and continuity due to geopolitical pressures.
· Sustainability is shifting from a values-driven to a value-driven agenda.
73% of leaders interviewed agree with the statement that their sustainability investments are driven by business value. A majority of executives now view sustainability as a driver of competitive advantage. That’s great news. However, I still believe we need to communicate on more success stories on how sustainability can help reduce risks and costs, grow revenue, and improve brand equity.
Interesting new data point: Spending on sustainability is expected to grow from 1.04% of revenue in 2025 to 1.2% in 2026.
· Sustainability execution is lagging.
CRI’s sustainability maturity index declined for the second consecutive year, falling from 111 in 2025 to 105 in 2026. Only 5% of organizations qualify as frontrunners.
· AI is becoming the execution engine for sustainability. Even if 45% of executives agree AI has significantly increased the greenhouse gas emissions of their organization, 71% consider the benefits of GenAI outweigh the negative impacts it has on the environment.
That’s the part of the research that I would question the most. Don’t get me wrong, I agree AI can be use to support sustainability (supply chain ang logistics optimization, energy efficiency and reducing energy use, sustainability reporting and data checks…) but I think it is extremely difficult yet to measure for two simple reasons: 1) you need to take into account Jevon’s paradox (energy efficiency drives usage up) and 2) lack of data access and data transparency is by very far THE top challenge here.
For more information, I invite you to read the study for yourself, available for free here.
If you are interested in this topic, I have supported various clients at the intersection of sustainable development, marketing, and AI, so please feel free to reach out.
