2024 in review: the year in corporate sustainability 

Welcome to our Year in Review, in which we help you look back at the major sustainability themes of 2024 — and ahead to what’s coming in 2025.

2024 was full of setbacks. 

• Leading climate scientists declared the 1.5 Celsius goal of the Paris Agreement out of reach as global fossil fuel greenhouse gas emissions topped 37 billion metric tons. 
• The voluntary carbon credit market saw disagreement over integrity measures and new claims of fraud. 
• Major companies including Shell, Coca-Cola and Nestlé backed away from ambitious climate and environmental goals. 
• U.S. courts blocked the SEC’s new corporate emissions disclosure rule, and state lawmakers resisted renewable energy projects in their districts. 
• Global climate tech investment fell by nearly 30 percent, according to PwC.

Then Americans elected as president a reactionary climate change-denier who has promised to abandon international climate accords, protect the fossil fuel industry at all costs and eliminate federal support for the clean energy transition. 

But there was encouraging news as well: U.S. and international companies continued to make progress on reducing carbon emissions from their operations, protecting nature and biodiversity and working with suppliers to make their products greener from raw materials to end of life.

A turbulent year, a promising beginning

In recent days we have published a series of year-in-review articles to help you make sense of a turbulent year and prepare for 2025. In early January we will go deeper on major upcoming policy developments, next-generation materials poised to transform the clothing industry, the emergence of biodiversity credits and more. 

Here are key themes that emerged in 2024: 

Amid signs of an uptick, carbon markets look to put a turbulent 2024 behind

The past 12 months in the voluntary carbon market saw a big international project leap forward, multiple governments develop trading schemes, an industry veteran face criminal charges, significant layoffs at an organization central to the market and fundamental disagreements within an initiative designed to put fundamental disagreements to rest. 

To make sense of all this, Trellis asked carbon market leaders to identify and interpret the key events of 2024.

Here’s what they told us. 

In 2024, sustainability professionals were shaken but resolute. The year ahead will be more challenging

Trellis co-founder Joel Makower conducted a LinkedIn survey of more than 650 sustainability professionals to gauge their responses to a challenging year and their approaches to the year to come. What he found will surprise you: sustainability leaders continue to be generally optimistic about the effects of their work. 

Read more. 

Adapt. Stretch. Reset. Sustainability leaders must be resilient and resourceful in the new year

The resolve and optimism that respondents showed in response to Joel’s question will come in handy in the new year, as a new administration and upcoming policy battles present continued challenges. It’s clear that we need a broad and deep reassessment of current sustainability strategies, in particular around managing tension and advocacy connected to consumers and voters. 

Here are two guides to navigating the stormy seas ahead: 

• Jeff Senne and Steve Rochlin, authors of an upcoming report on Sustainability Tension Management to be published by Trellis, offer a roadmap for doing green business in the Trump era.

• Terry Yosie, former president and CEO of the World Environment Center, provides a set of effective strategies for the new reality, including simplifying the message, pushing back on the “shareholder value” ideology and expanding public advocacy.  

Your guide to countries with corporate climate disclosure mandates 

As you gear up for 2025, Staff Writer Leah Garden highlights where in the world your company will be required to disclose climate information, and where mandates are under consideration. 

• The European Union, 10 other countries and the state of California have requirements.
• Six more countries are considering enacting mandates.

Here’s our roundup to help you comply with the regulations on the books, including timelines, how a country defines “material” (whether it requires a country to disclose a single or double materiality assessment) and more.

Get the playbook.

Plastics treaty negotiations remain unfinished. What’s next?

Following the stalled negotiations for a global plastics treaty, in Busan, South Korea, in November, it’s hard to be confident in an outcome that is acceptable to all parties and also good for the environment. Myriad complexities stand in the way.

Here’s why there’s room for hope.