Large Companies Becoming Sustainability Leaders
If we hope to have a planet that will sustain our children, grandchildren and beyond, corporations have to be part of the solution. Political and regulatory solutions are a myth.
Many of the largest companies in the world are gaining a competitive edge by optimizing operational efficiency, including their supply chains. In many cases, board members are leading the charge by demanding more productivity and less waste to build their bottom lines. Fortunately, efficiency and sustainability can be part of the same business strategy.
According to the 2025 State of Sustainability Survey, conducted by Forbes Research, there are several areas where revenue is linked to a company’s commitment to sustainability. In fact, sustainability ranks as a top-three priority in 89 percent of the companies that generate more than $15 billion annually. As revenue decreases, so does the percentage of executives who place sustainability in their top three.
This level of commitment extends to procurement as larger companies are also more likely to work with their partners on making supply chains more sustainable. Approximately three-quarters of those in the $15 billion-plus bracket want a sustainable supply chain versus a third of companies in the $500 million to $1 billion range.
It appears that corporate boards at large companies have a more prominent role in setting the sustainability agenda than boards at smaller organizations. Seventy percent of executives at $15 billion-plus companies say the board is ultimately responsible for sustainability decisions.
A survey by EY found that 82 percent of CEOs embrace sustainability as a strategic opportunity. For example, ESG strategies can help a company build customer loyalty, attract and retain loyal employees, attract capital and more.
Meanwhile, the market itself continues to prefer companies that embrace sustainability as part of their mission and vision.
Despite all of the headwinds in Washington, DC, consumers across demographics still care about sustainability and climate change, but Gen Z and Millennials are particularly vocal, willing to change their purchasing habits and pay more for sustainable products and practices, according to a new survey by global professional services firm Deloitte.
For the report, the 2025 Gen Z and Millennial Survey, Deloitte surveyed more than 23,400 Gen Z (those born between 1995 – 2005) and millennial (born 1983 – 1994) respondents across North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific. Deloitte noted that Gen Zs and Millennials are anticipated to make up 74 percent of the global workforce by 2030.
Both Millennials and Gen Z are feeling the impacts of global warming and climate change now. Approximately 70 percent of global respondents in these age groups have experienced an extreme weather event in the past 30 days.
Gen Z is the largest and most influential consumer segment. It is emerging as the sustainable generation.
Gen Z (20-30ish) is the first consumer group to grow up in an all-digital world—digital natives. Just like the cutting-edge technology that is their second nature, members of Gen-Z are breaking rules and charting new lifestyles, a challenge for consumer-facing companies to target.
Gen-Z represents only 5 percent of U.S. consumer spending today, in five or so years, it will be closer to 20 percent, as they start to enter their peak earning years and become about a third of the workforce.
A recent report reveals that 62 percent of Gen Z shoppers prefer to buy from sustainable brands, and 73 percent are willing to pay more for sustainable products.
Gen Z and Millennials are the most likely to make purchase decisions based on personal, social, and environmental values. Brands must prioritize sustainability to remain competitive.
Millennials, alongside Gen Z, prioritize environmental sustainability and are a driving force for change through their actions, purchases, and career choices. They expect employers and businesses to be accountable and they expect governments to facilitate sustainable practices.
Nearly half of respondents in each group (48 percent of Gen Z and 47 percent of Millennials) reported that they and their colleagues have put pressure on their employers to take action on protecting the environment.
While younger demographics are more vocal, older generations (like me) also demonstrate concern for sustainability.
Generation X includes those born primarily between the mid-1960s and the early 1980s. It is the generation between the Baby Boomers and the Millennials.
Gen X feels a strong sense of responsibility towards future generations and is compelled to make sustainable choices for a better world. Generation X also cares about sustainability and climate change, showing significant concern and a willingness to make sustainable choices, though their level of engagement may differ from younger generations. Gen Xers often make lifestyle changes to reduce their environmental footprint. Like younger generations, they also are willing to pay more for sustainable products, while increasingly considering sustainability factors in their investment decisions.
Despite the challenges, many Gen Xers remain optimistic about the possibility of addressing climate change and environmental damage.
Baby Boomers (born between 1946- 1964) also care about climate change and sustainability, with surveys showing that they are environmentally conscious and willing to make changes to protect the environment. Baby Boomers (28 percent of the general population) are often over-represented in the environmentally-minded consumer group. A 2024 survey found that nearly 2 in 5 environmentally-minded consumers are Baby Boomers. Research indicates that more than 90 percent of Baby Boomers are willing to make future lifestyle changes to help protect the environment.
Boomers also are becoming a new force in the climate action movement. They are concerned about the long-term health of the environment, extreme weather impacts, and are increasingly motivated to take action. They are increasingly concerned about toxins in food and water.
Boomers are environmentally-minded consumers who pay more attention to the news, particularly through left-leaning networks, and are more likely to lean left politically. They’re more duty-bound to the needs of their communities and society as a whole. Brands that claim to be environmentally responsible in their marketing must back it up.
Overall, consumers are assessing producers’ sustainability practices, including production methods and recycling, eco-friendly packaging, and making a positive impact on nature and water conservation. Some consumers are willing to pay 10 percent or more for goods that meet their environmental concerns.
“Who wants to buy products and services that harm people and the planet,” said Gary Chandler, CEO of Crossbow Communications. “Who wants to insure companies that are creating unknown liabilities regarding public health and natural resources? There are still penalties for dirty businesses, despite the unstable regulatory environment.”
Sustainability is core to business strategy and operations. Companies are redesigning processes, procurement, and marketing. Sustainability teams are collaborating with finance and risk teams to assess impacts and opportunities.
It’s good to see that common sense continues to link sustainability and profitability on Main Street and Wall Street. Hopefully, the White House will get out of the way and let free-market capitalism drive innovation, efficiency, sustainability and profitability around the world.
Unfortunately, Donald Trump spent much of his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday disparaging renewable energy sources and challenging the scientific consensus on climate change. He called climate change “the greatest con job perpetrated by the world.” Sad.
Among the president’s remarks were unsubstantiated claims about climate change, renewable energy sources and the environment.
Trump claimed that clean energy sources, such as solar and wind, don’t work and are more expensive than fossil fuel options. He also said the U.N. was incorrect in its predictions about the consequences of climate change. And the president repeatedly warned that the economics of renewable energy are harming the economy and resulting in higher energy costs.
In 2024, 80 percent of the growth in global electricity generation was from renewable and nuclear sources, contributing 40 percent of the world’s total electricity generation for the first time, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Solar and wind accounted for 16% of the United States’ electricity, surpassing coal.
More than 90 percent of new renewable projects are now cheaper than fossil fuel alternatives, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). In 2024, solar photovoltaics (PV) were, on average, 41 percent cheaper than the lowest-cost fossil fuel alternatives, while onshore wind projects were 53 percent cheaper. Answers begin with the truth.
Donald Trump has the lowest 100-day job approval rating of any president in the past 80 years, with public pushback on many of his policies and extensive economic discontent, including broad fears of a recession, according to a new ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll.
Yet Trump still beats the Democrats in Congress in terms of trust to handle the nation’s main problems. That is a sad statement about the state of democrats and democracy.
Thirty-nine percent of respondents in this ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll said they approve of how Trump is handling his job as president, down 6 percentage points from February, while 55 percent said they disapprove.
The previous low in approval for a president at or near 100 days in office, in polls dating to 1945, was Trump’s 42 percent in 2017.
