RESEARCH REPORT
Unlocking the next era of sustainability leadership
Insights from the 2025 UN Global Compact-Accenture CEO Study
5-MINUTE READ
September 16, 2025
In brief
- 88% of CEOs believe the case for sustainability is stronger today than it was five years ago.
- With only a third of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on track, 90% of CEOs urge successors to keep investing in sustainability initiatives.
- There are five key actions CEOs can take to ignite momentum, build trust and align public and private sectors for systemic impact.
A new era of pragmatic sustainability
Sustainability leadership is undergoing a profound shift. Today’s CEOs are navigating a landscape defined by fractured governance, rapid technological advances and mounting global crises.
This new era demands practical action. The challenge is clear: translate ambitious, long-term sustainability goals into concrete, measurable steps that drive both near-term and long-term impact. Leaders are focusing on what matters most to their organizations today, while ensuring their strategies remain aligned with a broader vision for the future.
Yet, a striking paradox persists. While almost all CEOs remain committed to climate and ESG goals, few feel very confident publicly announcing their progress. The next five years stand as a critical window. The private sector must either rally together for systemic change or risk settling into fragmented inertia.
72%
In 2007, 72% of CEOs prioritized brand and reputation outcomes.
79%
By 2022, 79% of CEOs saw a business case for at least one SDG.
88%
In 2025, 88% of CEOs believe the business case for sustainability is stronger today than five years ago. And 97% remain committed to the SDGs.
As sustainability becomes a public expectation, CEOs face shifting influences. Consumers and governments now drive corporate sustainability agendas more powerfully than traditional financial stakeholders—and CEOs expect this trend to continue.
Key topics influencing CEO views on sustainability today
Global events, technological breakthroughs, political change and shifting societal expectations are fundamentally reshaping sustainability and the world. In response to these growing pressures, CEOs are moving from commitment to integration, embedding sustainability into strategy, operations and leadership priorities.
Technology & innovation
Technological advancements influence nearly every area of business and civil society, including sustainability priorities, but raise new challenges.
Renewable energy: Growth is key to meeting global demand.
93%
of CEOs believe business has driven renewable energy progress since 2000.
72%
of CEOs expect major renewable energy advances by 2050.
AI and the human potential: AI can elevate operational and human potential.
25%
of CEOs identified the pace of technological change as a top challenge.
Only 27%
of those CEOs feel very prepared to address it.
Sustainability tools: Digital tools for sustainability tracking will be instrumental and require sustained investment.
97%
of CEOs surveyed expect progress in digital tracking and sustainable supply chains in the next 25 years.
Only 27%
consider these tools a top priority today.
Geopolitics
The current macroeconomic and political climates are both a constraint and catalyst for private sector sustainability efforts.
Global goals. Local realities: CEOs must balance global ambitions with local realities.
7 out of 10
CEOs did not feel “very prepared” to manage trade regulation, climate change or inflation and price volatility.
More than 20%
of CEOs ranked "warfare and conflict" or "political shifts" as a one of their top three global challenges.
Communicating sustainability: Companies are scaling back public messaging while quietly advancing their sustainability commitments behind the scenes.
99%
of CEOs are staying the course on sustainability commitments.
Just 50%
of CEOs strongly agree that they are comfortable communicating their sustainability progress.
More voices and leadership
A growing network of investors, regulators, consumers and civil society are raising expectations and setting higher standards for corporate action.
Customer demand
60%
of CEOs ranked customer demand and consumer preferences among the top three drivers of their sustainability agenda.
Consumer influence
4 out of 10
CEOs identified consumers as the single group with the most influence over their sustainability approach for the next five years.
Collaboration impact
97%
of CEOs expect progress in industry and value chain collaboration, signaling that peer influence, supplier alignment, and ecosystem-wide cooperation are now central to delivering sustainability impact.
Five keys for sustainable leadership
To accelerate progress, CEOs should align around five strategic priorities that drive momentum, build trust and foster collaboration between public and private sectors. These imperatives reflect a pragmatic approach to embedding sustainability into business strategy and operations.
The choice is ours
CEOs are no longer debating whether sustainability belongs in business strategy. In fact, 96% of CEOs urge their successors to center sustainability in their company vision and culture.
The future isn’t something we inherit—it’s something we create. There are two ways to move forward: coordinated acceleration or fragmented adoption. The future we lead depends on the choices we make today—and demands the courage to act decisively.
