Dive Brief:
- Most business executives link companies’ business success to their environmental performance across key operations, according to a recent global survey from sustainable solutions company Onterris, formerly Montrose Environmental Group.
- The survey found that companies with more developed environmental programs are three times more likely to report being ahead of their goals and twice as likely to report improved capital access and competitiveness. Ninety percent of the 500 senior executives surveyed said they had better access to capital over the past five years, with 43% reporting significant gains.
- For nearly eight in 10 executives, environmental performance has some level of positive impact on their company’s competitive position in the market, the report found. A majority said environmental performance either significantly supports customer loyalty or retention, or is a key driver of competitive advantage and market growth.
Dive Insight:
The survey, conducted in late 2025 and early 2026, included responses from 500 senior decision-makers, including C-suite members. Of the respondents, 60% represented companies located in North America, 20% in Europe, and 20% in Australia and New Zealand, with revenue ranging from $250 million to $5 billion.
Nearly all executives surveyed said they have a dedicated environmental strategy or roadmap, with 76% setting clear, measurable targets and 75% reporting they are on track to meet them. Over half of the respondents (54%) called environmental performance a “core pillar” of strategy and long-term growth. An additional 30% cited it as a moderate driver of innovation or market innovation, while only 16% said they view it as primarily a compliance or risk-mitigation exercise
Companies also reported cost savings thanks to environmental planning, with most cutting back on waste handling and disposal costs, with 31% reporting a notable cost reduction (10% or more) and an additional 33% percent reporting moderate (less than 10%) savings. A similar share of executives also reported notable and moderate energy and water treatment cost savings.
By industry, 80% of chemical manufacturing respondents report having a dedicated environmental strategy with clear targets in place, compared with 76% of companies across sectors. On the other end of the spectrum, the solid waste and waste management sector and the industrial manufacturing sectors were most likely to respond that environmental implementation remained at an early stage, while more than a third of executives in the solid waste and waste management sector said they are behind on their environmental targets.
Internal drivers of environmental planning include better risk management and resilience planning (cited as a priority by 47%), followed by operational efficiency opportunities (44%) and technology transition opportunities (40%). Additionally, more than half of executives said compensation for C-suite members at their firm is linked to environmental performance.
Despite widespread tracking of environmental key performance indicators, not all are prioritized equally. For example, 84% of companies track scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions, and 80% track energy use and/or energy intensity. But only 35% track scope 3, or indirect emissions, where data can be difficult to gather, the report said.
Only about half of executives have a high level of confidence in the robustness of key environmental KPIs, and 49% said their investors and lenders regularly challenge published environmental data. The vast majority — 70% — said their investors require detailed climate transition plans outlining how decarbonization targets will be met.
“Environmental performance has reached an inflection point,” Onterris Chief Operating Officer James Laws said in a May 5 release. “What was once treated as a compliance obligation is now a material factor in how companies operate, allocate capital and compete. The next phase is execution. Organizations that can measure, verify and act on environmental data will outperform on cost, risk and market leadership.”
