The future of sustainability is more globally distributed
Sustainability professionals in Asia-Pacific, the EU and China will have more influence in shaping strategic agendas over the next three years. Read More
- Nearly two-thirds of respondents expect Asia-Pacific’s influence on sustainability to increase, making it the region with the strongest positive momentum.
- The EU and China are expected to remain influential agenda setters.
- Respondents are more likely to expect the influence of the U.S. to decline than increase.
Across new research from GlobeScan and BSR, sustainability professionals at large companies have described an environment in which sustainability efforts are becoming more focused — with a deeper emphasis on compliance, tighter resources and a narrower set of priorities. As companies adapt to these changing conditions, a question emerges: Where will the future sustainability agenda be shaped?
When asked how regional influences on sustainability are likely to evolve over the next three years, respondents pointed to a shifting global landscape. Asia-Pacific stands out as the region most widely expected to gain ground, with nearly two-thirds of sustainability professionals anticipating its role will grow. The European Union and China are also expected to play increasingly important roles in shaping sustainability priorities and standards in the years ahead. There are also signs of growing influence in Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa.
At the same time, respondents are more likely to expect the sustainability influence of the U.S. to decrease (43 percent) than increase (23 percent).
What this means
The findings suggest a rebalancing of influence, with sustainability increasingly shaped by a broader range of actors, markets and policy environments rather than being concentrated in any single geography or center of gravity. For companies, success will increasingly depend on understanding how sustainability priorities evolve across multiple markets and translating those signals into strategies that are both globally coherent and relevant to local contexts.
Based on an online survey conducted in April and May 2026 among 124 sustainability professionals at companies with annual revenue of $1 billion or more, mostly based in North America and Europe.
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