Just a decade or so ago, setting an emissions goal was evidence of corporate climate ambition. Now targets are table stakes: More than 80 percent of the world’s largest 2,000 companies have made some kind of emissions commitment, according to the nonprofit Net Zero Tracker.
But the planet cares about progress, not pledges. And here the picture gets complicated. There are notable success stories: Ingka Group, IKEA’s biggest retailer, is on track to halve emissions by 2030, as are Nestlé and Apple. Many others are struggling, however. When Accenture examined the world’s 4,000 largest companies in Nov. 2025, it found that just 16 percent were on track to reach net zero in operations by 2050.
Chasing Net Zero is an effort to understand why progress has been so patchy. Why are so many sectors and companies stumbling while others stride toward targets? And how can we help all players move faster?
The series launched in summer 2025 with an initial focus on companies: In our first year, we published deeply researched profiles of eight businesses — see below for links. Now, we are expanding our approach to include assessments of how sectors and other groups are faring on their journey to net zero. Every piece uses a detailed methodology to reveal successes, failures and, most importantly, actionable insights we hope will accelerate others’ progress.
Explore these insights, share them with your network and send us your feedback. Subscribe to Trellis Briefing to follow future updates in this series.
