Sustainability is firmly back on the boardroom agenda as CEOs increasingly link it to costs, customers and commercial performance, according to new analysis from Bain and Company.

Their survey of C-suite leaders shows that while sustainability talk dipped after the hype of 2021 and 2022, the downturn was short lived.

Bain says the rhetoric has shifted. In 2018 CEOs focused on compliance and social responsibility, while today they frame sustainability as a driver of business value.

It is now tied to core risks and operational decisions including cost control, customer demand and capital investment.

The analysis of more than 35,000 CEO statements shows that pressure from consumers and ongoing disruption is pushing companies to act sooner rather than later.

Sales teams are already using sustainability in pitches and many firms are making their climate targets more ambitious.

Between 2022 and 2025, 10% of companies increased their Science Based Targets initiative ambitions while only 4% scaled them back.

Two thirds remain on track to hit their Scope 1 and Scope 2 goals.

Bain also found that around a quarter of industrial CO2 emissions can be cut profitably through measures such as energy efficiency, circular design and localised supply chains.

Jean-Charles van den Branden said: “For sustainability, 2025 is the year CEOs turned down the volume and accelerated action.”