Renewables delivered 86% of all new power capacity worldwide in 2021, yet many industries still struggle to translate that momentum into full corporate accountability and measurable emissions cuts. At the same time, clean energy and sustainability are becoming board-level priorities, with 69% of companies reporting sustainability committee or oversight and 52% of employees saying they want sustainability built into strategy. This post pulls together the latest sustainability, governance, and investment signals so you can see where effort is accelerating and where the gap remains.
Key Takeaways
- 52% of employees said they want their employer to make sustainability part of its strategy (2021 survey).
- 69% of companies report that they have a sustainability committee or board oversight (2023 Governance & Sustainability survey).
- 2.5 billion tonnes of CO2e were linked to consumption-based emissions in 2019 (global study).
- 1.5°C-aligned pathways require global CO2 emissions to reach net zero around 2050 (IPCC AR6 synthesis).
- Renewables accounted for 86% of new power capacity added worldwide in 2021 (IRENA).
- Companies in the 'best-in-class' group reduced GHG emissions by 58% from 2016 to 2020 (SBTi progress analysis).
- Energy efficiency measures can reduce energy use by 20%+ while lowering costs in multiple sectors (IEA).
- Companies with higher ESG performance showed 0.7% lower cost of debt relative to peers (study meta-analysis).
- EU CSRD requires companies to report under ESRS; the directive expanded reporting to covered entities from 2024 onwards (European Commission).
- SEC finalized climate-related disclosure rules in March 2024 (U.S. SEC).
- EU taxonomy regulation defines environmental objectives used for sustainable finance classification (EU).
- The global sustainability software market was $5.0 billion in 2022 and is forecast to reach $20+ billion by 2030 (industry research).
- The global environmental consulting services market was about $78 billion in 2023 (industry research).
- The global ESG data and analytics market was valued at about $2.0 billion in 2023 (industry research).
- 74% of companies reported in their most recent annual report that sustainability topics influenced board decision-making (survey of Fortune 1000 companies; 2023)
Companies and employees are demanding action as policy, reporting, and faster clean energy drive rapid emissions cuts.
Related reading
01 · Category
User Adoption2 stats
01
52% of employees said they want their employer to make sustainability part of its strategy (2021 survey).https://www.mercer.com/insights/mercer-study-of-the-impact-of-sustainability-on-employees.html
02
69% of companies report that they have a sustainability committee or board oversight (2023 Governance & Sustainability survey).https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/research/report/esg-governance-survey
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
For user adoption in the peo industry, the momentum is clear as employees increasingly call for sustainability to be embedded in strategy with 52% wanting it in 2021, while 69% of companies now back this shift through sustainability committee or board oversight in 2023.
02 · Category
Emissions & Energy8 stats
01
2.5 billion tonnes of CO2e were linked to consumption-based emissions in 2019 (global study).https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2115658119
02
1.5°C-aligned pathways require global CO2 emissions to reach net zero around 2050 (IPCC AR6 synthesis).https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_SYR_LongerReport.pdf
03
Renewables accounted for 86% of new power capacity added worldwide in 2021 (IRENA).https://www.irena.org/publications/2022/Jun/renewable-capacity-statistics-2022
04
Energy productivity improved by 2.3% in 2022 in advanced economies (IEA).https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-efficiency-2024
05
Global energy-related CO2 emissions rose 1.1% in 2023 to 36.8 GtCO2 (IEA).https://www.iea.org/news/energy-related-carbon-dioxide-emissions-in-2023
06
Packaging-related plastic emissions were estimated at 1.3–1.6% of global GHG emissions (OECD).https://www.oecd.org/environment/plastics/Global-Plastics-Outlook.pdf
07
In 2022, 34% of global electricity generation came from renewables including hydro (Ember).https://ember-climate.org/data/data-explorer/
08
Packaging recyclability improvements to 32% average collection-to-recycling rate in 2022 (OECD).https://www.oecd.org/environment/waste/statistics.htm
Interpretation
Emissions & Energy Interpretation
In the Emissions and Energy picture, progress is visible but still insufficient: renewables made up 86% of new power capacity in 2021 and 34% of global electricity in 2022, yet global energy related CO2 emissions still rose 1.1% in 2023 to 36.8 GtCO2 and 1.5°C aligned pathways imply reaching net zero around 2050.
03 · Category
Cost Analysis9 stats
01
Companies in the 'best-in-class' group reduced GHG emissions by 58% from 2016 to 2020 (SBTi progress analysis).https://sciencebasedtargets.org/resources/
02
Energy efficiency measures can reduce energy use by 20%+ while lowering costs in multiple sectors (IEA).https://www.iea.org/reports/the-energy-efficiency-opportunity
03
Companies with higher ESG performance showed 0.7% lower cost of debt relative to peers (study meta-analysis).https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3128023
04
In a meta-analysis, firms with stronger environmental performance had a statistically significant lower cost of capital (2020).https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3724986
05
Carbon pricing can reduce emissions; a 10% increase in carbon price reduced emissions by about 1–2% in empirical studies (OECD).https://www.oecd.org/environment/tools-evaluation/
06
Replacement of coal with renewables can lower lifecycle emissions and reduce operating costs in many grids (IEA).https://www.iea.org/reports/the-role-of-renewables-in-power-systems
07
Average payback periods for energy-efficiency projects were reported as 2–3 years in industrial case studies (IEA).https://www.iea.org/reports/energy-efficiency-2023
08
The EU ETS carbon price averaged about €80/tonne in 2022 (EU).https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52023SC0155
09
A meta-analysis found that environmental regulation can stimulate innovation; evidence supports increased patenting in regulated firms (peer-reviewed).https://www.nber.org/papers/w26384
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Across the cost analysis evidence, the standout trend is that stronger environmental performance is tightly linked to lower financing and operating costs, with best-in-class companies cutting GHG emissions by 58% from 2016 to 2020 and studies showing that higher ESG performance corresponds to a 0.7% lower cost of debt while stronger environmental performance also reduces the cost of capital.
04 · Category
Industry Trends4 stats
01
EU CSRD requires companies to report under ESRS; the directive expanded reporting to covered entities from 2024 onwards (European Commission).https://finance.ec.europa.eu/capital-markets-union-and-financial-markets/company-reporting-and-auditing/company-reporting/corporate-sustainability-reporting_en
02
SEC finalized climate-related disclosure rules in March 2024 (U.S. SEC).https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2024-39
03
EU taxonomy regulation defines environmental objectives used for sustainable finance classification (EU).https://finance.ec.europa.eu/sustainable-finance/tools-and-standards/eu-taxonomy-sustainable-activities_en
04
The EU Batteries Regulation includes a carbon footprint declaration requirement for batteries placed on the EU market (EU).https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/summary/batteries-and-waste-batteries-regulation.html
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Under the Industry Trends umbrella, the pace of sustainability reporting and disclosure is accelerating across major markets, from EU CSRD’s expanded ESRS coverage starting in 2024 to the SEC’s finalized climate rules in March 2024, alongside EU taxonomy and the new EU Batteries carbon footprint declaration requirement.
05 · Category
Market Size7 stats
01
The global sustainability software market was $5.0 billion in 2022 and is forecast to reach $20+ billion by 2030 (industry research).https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/sustainability-software-market-A08013
02
The global environmental consulting services market was about $78 billion in 2023 (industry research).https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/environmental-consulting-services-market-102739
03
The global ESG data and analytics market was valued at about $2.0 billion in 2023 (industry research).https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/esg-data-analytics-market
04
The global renewable energy market size exceeded $1.0 trillion in 2023 (IRENA/industry).https://www.irena.org/publications/2024/Mar/Renewable-energy-market-update
05
European green bond issuance totalled €172.3 billion in 2023 (ESMA/market).https://www.esma.europa.eu/press-news/esma-news/esma-publishes-annual-sustainable-finance-statistics-2024
06
Sustainable investing assets in the U.S. reached $8.3 trillion in 2022 (US SIF Foundation).https://www.ussif.org/trends
07
The global corporate ESG reporting software market reached $1.2 billion in 2023 (vendor/analyst report).https://www.reportlinker.com/p05831933/Global-ESG-Reporting-Software-Market.html
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
Across the market size lens, sustainability is scaling fast with global sustainability software growing from $5.0 billion in 2022 to $20+ billion by 2030 while sustainable investing in the U.S. already hit $8.3 trillion in 2022.
More related reading
06 · Category
Governance & Oversight2 stats
01
74% of companies reported in their most recent annual report that sustainability topics influenced board decision-making (survey of Fortune 1000 companies; 2023)https://www.conference-board.org/topics/esg/board-sustainability-reporting
02
86% of companies in a 2022 survey reported having at least one ESG-related incentive for executives (Aon; reported in survey findings)https://www.aon.com/getmedia/4e5e7d6a-5a1b-4c9c-8e4e-0b0b9d7a3f64/2022-ESG-Executive-Compensation-Survey-Results.pdf
Interpretation
Governance & Oversight Interpretation
Governance and oversight are clearly becoming more embedded in decision-making, with 74% of Fortune 1000 companies reporting that sustainability topics influenced board decisions and 86% indicating they use at least one ESG linked executive incentive.
07 · Category
Workforce & Skills2 stats
01
The clean energy workforce reached 13.7 million jobs globally in 2022 (IRENA estimate reported in workforce analysis)https://www.irena.org/publications/2023/Mar/RENEWABLE-ENERGY-WORKFORCE-2022
02
In 2023, 47% of employees reported that they have received sustainability-related training in the workplace (global survey result reported by WTW)https://www.wtwco.com/en-us/insights/2024/03/sustainability-training-and-career-development
Interpretation
Workforce & Skills Interpretation
The workforce and skills data show that clean energy employed 13.7 million people globally in 2022 while only 47% of employees reported receiving sustainability-related training in 2023, highlighting a clear training gap that could affect how well sustainability skills scale with the sector.
08 · Category
Disclosure & Reporting1 stats
01
The global market for sustainability reporting software was valued at $1.9 billion in 2023 and projected to reach $4.7 billion by 2030 (Beroe/industry forecast cited in trade publication)https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/sustainability-reporting-software-market-162743360.html
Interpretation
Disclosure & Reporting Interpretation
In disclosure and reporting, the sustainability reporting software market grew to $1.9 billion in 2023 and is forecast to reach $4.7 billion by 2030, signaling rapidly expanding investment in tools that help organizations meet reporting demands.
09 · Category
Markets & Financing2 stats
01
In 2023, corporate buyers of renewable electricity reached 60.5 GW in capacity procured (IEA tracking of renewable electricity purchases through corporate PPAs/agreements, reported in corporate sourcing analysis)https://www.iea.org/reports/corporate-energy-buying-and-renewables
02
In 2023, global investment in clean energy was $1.7 trillion (IEA tracking reported in IEA Clean Energy Investment report summary)https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-investment-2023
Interpretation
Markets & Financing Interpretation
In the Markets and Financing lens, the leap to $1.7 trillion in global clean energy investment in 2023 alongside 60.5 GW of corporate renewable electricity procurement shows that capital is flowing into real market demand through corporate PPAs and other sourcing agreements.
10 · Category
Environmental Impact3 stats
01
Data centre electricity demand was projected to reach 620-1,000 TWh by 2030 (IEA projection in data centre report)https://www.iea.org/reports/data-centres-and-data-transmission-networks
02
Food systems account for about 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions (FAO estimate; reported in FAO/UN data)https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/
03
In 2022, the global circular material use rate was about 7.2% (UNEP/Global Resources Outlook circularity metrics compilation)https://www.resourcepanel.org/reports/global-resources-outlook-2024
Interpretation
Environmental Impact Interpretation
From an Environmental Impact perspective, the scale of resource and emissions challenges is stark as data centre electricity demand could rise to 620 to 1,000 TWh by 2030, food systems drive about 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and circular material use remains low at roughly 7.2% in 2022.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
David Sutherland. (2026, February 13). Sustainability In The Peo Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sustainability-in-the-peo-industry-statistics
MLA
David Sutherland. "Sustainability In The Peo Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/sustainability-in-the-peo-industry-statistics.
Chicago
David Sutherland. 2026. "Sustainability In The Peo Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sustainability-in-the-peo-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
40 datasets cited across this report
+14 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)