Sustainability Leaders’ Series: 2026 Predictions
Access this research
Access all Corporate Sustainability Leaders content with a strategic subscription or buy this single report
Need help or have a question about this report? Contact us for assistance
Executive Summary
Regardless of the regulatory landscape, sustainability has become an operational reality: embedded in global supply chains, demanded by customers and investors, and reinforced by the rising expectation that every claim must be traceable, transparent and verifiable.
As expectations rise, executives must juggle evolving compliance requirements while proving that their initiatives deliver real operational and financial returns. Our predictions for 2026 guide is designed to help corporate sustainability leaders navigate these expectations, offering a glimpse of what to expect in the year ahead.
About the Authors
Jessica Pransky
Principal Analyst
Jessica is a Principal Analyst at Verdantix, specializing in providing insights to sustainability leaders and analysing ESG and sustainability reporting software. She advises ...
View Profile
Priyanka Bawa
Principal Analyst
Priyanka is a Principal Analyst at Verdantix, where she leads research to enable sustainability leaders and services firms to analyse shifting market dynamics and evaluate inn...
View Profile
Luke Gowland
Senior Analyst
Luke is a Senior Analyst at Verdantix, specializing in ESG and sustainability reporting software and financial ESG. He advises both technology buyers and software vendor and s...
Callum Millard
Analyst
Callum is an Analyst at Verdantix, helping firms navigate the evolving ESG, sustainability, product innovation and product stewardship landscapes, to drive value creation and ...
View Profile
Elisa Molero
Senior Analyst
Elisa is a Senior Analyst at Verdantix, specializing in supply chain sustainability. Her research covers 100 vendors in the supply chain sustainability market, supporting buye...
View Profile
Jessie Wilson
Industry Analyst
Jessie is an Industry Analyst at Verdantix, with a research agenda spanning ESG reporting, the circular economy and supply chain sustainability. Jessie has a BSc in Geography ...
View Profile
Kim Knickle
Research Director
Kim Knickle is a Research Director at Verdantix, bringing more than two decades of analyst experience to the evolving world of sustainability. Her current research spans ESG a...
View ProfileOther related content
Most sustainability leaders aren't using AI to its full potential. Concerns about data quality, regulatory risk, and potential inaccuracies mean AI is still widely seen as a compli...
Upcoming / 31 March, 2026
Industrial firms around the world are being hammered by operational dislocations and disruptions. Labour shortages, supply chain chokepoints, fast-changing import tariffs, rapid sh...
Upcoming / 25 March, 2026
In a long-awaited statement, the European Commission has confirmed that the upcoming simplification review of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), due April 30, 2026, will not i...
09 March, 2026
The recently released Verdantix Green Quadrant: Sustainability Consulting (2026) evaluates 15 prominent sustainability consulting providers, assessing their capabilities and mark...
09 March, 2026
Just seven weeks into 2026, and European sustainable finance supervision has already delivered two important signals to the market. First, the European Central Bank has fined Cré...
23 February, 2026
Energy price volatility, grid instability and geopolitical risk are exposing how vulnerable many organisations’ energy strategies really are. Energy, procurement, operations and su...
Upcoming / 12 March, 2026