Reliable progress in key sustainability areas
Consistency, circularity, conservation
Progress continues across all sustainability areas, our research shows. Organizations demonstrated a cumulative 22% increase in sustainability maturity from 2022 to 2024.
We also see more organizations embracing circularity. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of companies this year say that recycling products is central to their manufacturing strategy, up from 53% in 2022. Still, only 7.2% of materials are cycled back into the global economy.1
1 Circle Economy Foundation, “The circularity gap report 2024,” January 2024.
Sustainability index by country and by sector, 2022‒24
Country*
2023 Index
2024 Index
Sector**
Australia
106
120
Aerospace and defense
111
113
Canada
114
Automotive
116
121
France
95
110
Consumer products manufacturing
115
127
Germany
99
92
Energy
108
118
India
124
105
Financial services
138
Italy
100
142
Healthcare and life sciences
133
Japan
Industrial manufacturing
Netherlands
137
Public/government
119
123
Spain
125
Retail
128
Sweden
Telecom
UK
Utilities
103
US
109
Global average
112
122
Source: Capgemini Research Institute, Sustainability transformation trends survey, August–September 2022, N = 2,004 executives; June–July 2024, N = 2,002 executives. *Norway is excluded since it was not covered in the 2022 research. **Agriculture and forestry is excluded since it was not covered in the 2022 or 2023 research.
Sustainable design capabilities continue to gain traction. In 2024, 67% of organizations report redesigning products for lower impacts, up from 44% in 2022. Moreover, 69% of companies are eliminating fossil-fuel feedstocks in 2024, up from 47% in 2022.
Our data also shows an uptick in measurement and data sharing. An impressive 71% of organizations found more precise ways to measure energy consumption from industrial processes this year, compared to 43% in 2022. Companies are also increasingly transparent; 68% of them now share sustainability data internally, up from 43% in 2022.
The majority of executives say their organization has progressed on sustainable design
Source: Capgemini Research Institute, Sustainability transformation trends survey, August–September 2022, 1,001 executives in value chain functions, N = 1,003 executives in corporate functions for the statement on design skills; August–September 2023, N = 1,075 executives in value chain functions, N = 2,001 executives in corporate functions for the statement on design skills; June–July 2024, N = 1,076 executives in value chain functions, N = 1,076 executives in corporate functions for the statement on design skills.*Public sector, retail, energy, and utilities executives were excluded from the statements on removing fossil fuels and sustainable prototyping.
Water conservation and biodiversity is increasingly central according to our research. In 2024, three-quarters of organizations had water stewardship programs, compared to 55% in 2022. Furthermore, 66% of organizations invested in conserving natural habitats this year, up from only 43% in 2022.
We also see more companies embracing social sustainability, with 61% of them using an external third party to disclose their social impact – up from 49% in 2022. This shift is essential for meeting increasingly stringent consumer standards. This year, 66% of customers expect organizations to work exclusively with suppliers paying a living wage, compared to only 45% in 2023.
Sustainable skilling has know a continuous progress, with six in 10 organizations agreeing that upskilling and reskilling on hard sustainability skills such as renewable energy, carbon accounting, and environmental science/engineering is a top priority, up from 41% in 2022.
As a leader, you can spearhead efforts to embed circularity into the full value chain. Recycling is now common for manufacturing processes, and more companies are sourcing raw materials locally. But sustainability frontrunners are taking this one step further: they are working toward a fully circular value chain.
You can also adopt sustainable design principles, joining the 70% of organizations already doing so. In this way, you reduce your company’s dependency on fossil-fuel feedstock and forests. Expanding these efforts will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, preserve natural resources, and protect biodiversity.
Executives committed to optimize their organizations’ carbon footprints can champion detailed life cycle assessments (LCAs) of products/services. Currently, 62% of companies conduct LCAs. Doing so not only reduces waste, it also increases a brand’s relevance. AI and data analytics can support you in this endeavor.
Education is crucial. It's essential to ensure that operations and supply chain teams understand the strategy, the purpose behind the changes being implemented, and feel included in the journey. Beyond that, fostering partnerships is vital. Collaboration, knowledge exchange, and idea sharing across the value chain externally and our Colgate teams, including legal and technology departments, can significantly accelerate progress.
