South Pole

Lower costs. Better financing terms. Stronger business outcomes. That’s what companies getting climate right are reporting. We surveyed 600 senior leaders across the US and Europe. The 12% with the right foundations in place are nearly twice as likely to report improvements across several business outcomes, from operational efficiency and costs to access to finance. What are they doing differently? The 2026 Net Zero Report reveals the four building blocks, and how to put them in place. Is your company next?

Lower costs. Better financing terms. Stronger business outcomes. That’s what companies getting climate right are reporting. We surveyed 600 senior leaders across the US and Europe. The 12% with the right foundations in place are nearly twice as likely to report improvements across several business outcomes, from operational efficiency and costs to access to finance. What are they doing differently? The 2026 Net Zero Report reveals the four building blocks, and how to put them in place. Is your company next?

Lower costs. Better financing terms. Stronger business outcomes. That’s what companies getting climate right are reporting. We surveyed 600 senior leaders across the US and Europe. The 12% with the right foundations in place are nearly twice as likely to report improvements across several business outcomes, from operational efficiency and costs to access to finance. What are they doing differently? The 2026 Net Zero Report reveals the four building blocks, and how to put them in place. Is your company next?

Companies stand at a crossroads on climate. They're certain of the case for action, but not yet equipped to turn it into business value. That's what our 2026 Net Zero Report, published this week, shows. The data is clear. Of the 600 senior leaders we surveyed across the US and Europe: 📈 90% say their organisation has active climate initiatives And yet: 📉 12% have the foundations in place to convert initiatives into stronger business outcomes. We call this the "value delivery gap": the gap between taking climate action and turning it into measurable emissions reductions and business value. The report sets out four building blocks to close it, each with what gets in the way and a roadmap to put it in place. 👉 Download South Pole's 2026 Net Zero Report: https://lnkd.in/ecTFCjFh

Nine in ten senior leaders overseeing sustainability say they have active climate initiatives in place – yet only 12% have the foundation to turn that effort into consistent business value. That gap is the problem we see most often with clients: the plan exists – but the budget behind it, the risk it addresses and the measure of what it returns to the business usually do not. Without these foundations, climate strategy sits outside the decisions that determine what a company funds, buys and builds. Our 2026 Net Zero Report, which surveyed 600 senior leaders in finance, sustainability and procurement across the US and Europe, puts more numbers on this challenge: ➡️ 90% say their organisation has active climate initiatives ➡️ 43% have a formal, approved strategy with implementation well under way ➡️ 12% meet all four criteria we use to define the foundations for turning that action into consistent business value The 12% group have approved and funded strategies; they have quantified their climate risk; and they plan for corporate value creation alongside value protection as part of their climate plans. Our survey shows that they are almost twice as likely to report winning new customers and entering new markets. While this is just a correlation, the direction is clear. As a CEO and former CFO, I see the 12% as leaders who have made climate ‘legible’ to finance. What do I mean: their strategies are expressed in the same terms as every other investment the business makes, so they can be approved, tracked and defended. Closing this gap is the work that South Pole does with clients. We help build the business case, put a number on estimated exposure and structure the delivery of plans in a way that results can be measured. Our latest report combines market insights with our first-hand experience and turns that into four building blocks for companies, each with a benchmark and a roadmap: 1️⃣ Decide where, when and how to act 2️⃣ Secure commitment 3️⃣ Mobilise delivery 4️⃣ Measure and prove value If you want to know which side of the 12% your organisation is, the benchmark is a good place to start. The full report is in the comments 👇

90% of companies run climate initiatives. Only 43% have a formal, approved strategy that’s actually being implemented. Ambition isn’t the problem. Execution is. Our 2026 Net Zero Report, based on a survey of 600 senior leaders in the US and Europe, sets out the 4 building blocks that close the gap. Register to be the first to receive the report.