Trellis Group has published its State of the Sustainability Profession 2026 report, and its findings may come as grim reading for those invested in the energy transition.
The report, which is based on insights from more than 500 sustainability professionals working at companies generating at least US$1bn in revenue, shows that the way companies conceive of sustainability has changed considerably in the past two years.
Rather than presenting sustainability through the lens of climate change, Trellis’ study finds that companies are increasingly couching their ESG endeavours in terms of energy security, operational resilience and cost discipline.
And while this might suggest that sustainability has taken a backseat to the bottom line across boardrooms, the data is a little more nuanced.
The surveys show that 46% of organisations have expanded sustainability budgets and headcount over the past two years.
