Sustainability at a Crossroads
The sustainability agenda is approaching a critical inflection point. While experts continue to believe sustainability can create business and societal value, confidence in the systems and institutions responsible for delivering progress remains low.
Developed in collaboration with GlobeScan, ERM and Volans, Sustainability at a Crossroads 2026 captures the views of 610 sustainability experts across 57 countries. The research explores whether the current sustainability agenda remains fit for purpose, the scale of change experts believe is required, and the actions most likely to accelerate progress over the next five years.
The findings reveal growing calls for fundamental change. Fifty-nine percent of experts believe the current approach to sustainability requires radical revision, while only 4 percent believe it is working well.
Routes to Transformation Webinar
Explore the findings from Sustainability at a Crossroads 2026 with GlobeScan, ERM, and Volans, on 29 October 2026. Discover what sustainability experts see as the biggest barriers to progress and the most promising routes to transformation.
Top Highlights
- The sustainability community is calling for change. Nearly six in ten experts (59%) believe the current sustainability agenda requires radical revision, while 95% support at least some degree of change. The debate has shifted from whether change is needed to how fundamental that change should be.
- Confidence in sustainability remains stronger than confidence in outcomes. While a majority of experts (52%) see a strong business case for sustainability, only 10% strongly believe the world will achieve net zero by 2050, and just 5% believe most companies will meet their 2030 climate commitments.
- Backlash has become a permanent feature of the sustainability landscape. Seven in ten experts report a significant backlash against sustainability and ESG in their country, with concerns particularly high in North America and Europe.
- Experts increasingly favour systemic solutions over voluntary approaches. Strong regulation, economic incentives, technology innovation, corporate integration, and financial-market reforms are seen as having the greatest potential to accelerate sustainability progress at scale.
- Politics is now seen as a bigger barrier than a lack of solutions. Political polarization, policy uncertainty, authoritarianism, and geopolitical tensions are identified as the most significant obstacles to sustainability progress globally.
Sustainability at a Crossroads 2026 is part of the Routes to Transformation initiative and the findings are based on a survey of 610 sustainability experts across 57 countries, conducted between June and August 2026. The research examines perceptions of the current sustainability agenda, the barriers to progress, and the actions most likely to accelerate positive outcomes over the next five years.
Routes to Transformation is a collaborative initiative from GlobeScan, ERM, and Volans, exploring the future of sustainability leadership and transformation. The program includes a series of reports, insights, convenings, and thought leadership designed to help shape the future of sustainability.
