Stockholm (NordSIP) – Institutional investors that have been endeavouring to decarbonise their portfolios may be encouraged by the implications of new analysis released by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The group’s 2025 Climate Survey, titled How Companies Are Tackling the Climate Challenge – and Creating Value, was put together in collaboration with French data platform CO2 AI. It signals that those companies that are taking concrete action to decarbonise are likely to benefit from an economic boost.
BCG and CO2 AI survey almost 2,000 executives working in corporate roles responsible for decarbonisation in 26 countries and across 16 different sectors. All the companies involved had more than 1,000 employees and annual revenue exceeding $100 million. The overall results paint a picture of a corporate sector getting on with the business of decarbonisation but seemingly doing so less publicly. This greater inward focus may be linked to the recent arrival of the Trump administration in the White House.
Two years ago, 10% of responding companies were reporting their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions comprehensively across scope 1, 2, and 3. The 2025 report shows that this has now decreased to only 7%. A similar trend is evident for companies setting reduction targets across all GHG scopes. However, this downturn in corporate carbon disclosures is not reflected elsewhere in the data.
Disclosures down but climate action up
Roughly 70% of the peer group plans to maintain or increase investment levels in climate mitigation and adaptation over the coming 5 years, and a third of them have already implemented an internal carbon price. The 2025 report also shows that 5% more companies are adopting a climate transition plan and these are mostly overseen at a high level of seniority within the firm.
The answer to the question of why companies appear to be forging ahead with decarbonisation while reducing their climate disclosures and communication may lie in the subsequent financial benefits that many of them are reporting. 82% of the responding companies claimed to have seen a boost in sales as a direct result of decarbonisation initiatives. A quarter of these respondents reported revenue growth through customer demand for more sustainable products and services. 20% of respondents also benefited from the price premium afforded by low-carbon products. Further value was reportedly gained through greater energy efficiency or by avoiding carbon taxes.
The BCG report also examines a smaller group of ‘leaders’ that are extracting overall revenue benefits from decarbonisation and adaptation of more than 10% on an annual basis. These firms are characterised by their comprehensive measurement of GHG emissions and both physical and transition risks, which they quantify using the most up-to-date qualitative and quantitative techniques, in many cases using digital capabilities and artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
Image courtesy of Chil Vera on Pixabay
Stockholm (NordSIP) – Institutional investors that have been endeavouring to decarbonise their portfolios may be encouraged by the implications of new analysis released by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The group’s 2025 Climate Survey, titled How Companies Are Tackling the Climate Challenge – and Creating Value, was put together in collaboration with French data platform CO2 AI. It signals that those companies that are taking concrete action to decarbonise are likely to benefit from an economic boost.
BCG and CO2 AI survey almost 2,000 executives working in corporate roles responsible for decarbonisation in 26 countries and across 16 different sectors. All the companies involved had more than 1,000 employees and annual revenue exceeding $100 million. The overall results paint a picture of a corporate sector getting on with the business of decarbonisation but seemingly doing so less publicly. This greater inward focus may be linked to the recent arrival of the Trump administration in the White House.
Two years ago, 10% of responding companies were reporting their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions comprehensively across scope 1, 2, and 3. The 2025 report shows that this has now decreased to only 7%. A similar trend is evident for companies setting reduction targets across all GHG scopes. However, this downturn in corporate carbon disclosures is not reflected elsewhere in the data.
Disclosures down but climate action up
Roughly 70% of the peer group plans to maintain or increase investment levels in climate mitigation and adaptation over the coming 5 years, and a third of them have already implemented an internal carbon price. The 2025 report also shows that 5% more companies are adopting a climate transition plan and these are mostly overseen at a high level of seniority within the firm.
The answer to the question of why companies appear to be forging ahead with decarbonisation while reducing their climate disclosures and communication may lie in the subsequent financial benefits that many of them are reporting. 82% of the responding companies claimed to have seen a boost in sales as a direct result of decarbonisation initiatives. A quarter of these respondents reported revenue growth through customer demand for more sustainable products and services. 20% of respondents also benefited from the price premium afforded by low-carbon products. Further value was reportedly gained through greater energy efficiency or by avoiding carbon taxes.
The BCG report also examines a smaller group of ‘leaders’ that are extracting overall revenue benefits from decarbonisation and adaptation of more than 10% on an annual basis. These firms are characterised by their comprehensive measurement of GHG emissions and both physical and transition risks, which they quantify using the most up-to-date qualitative and quantitative techniques, in many cases using digital capabilities and artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
Image courtesy of Chil Vera on Pixabay
