Many Climate Targets — Few Transition Plans: What the New Bertelsmann Study Reveals About Corporate Sustainability

The new “Sustainability Transformation Monitor 2026” by the Bertelsmann Foundation provides an interesting snapshot of where companies currently stand in their sustainability transformation.

Study: https://www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/de/publikationen/publikation/did/sustainability-transformation-monitor-2026

The results show a mixed picture. Sustainability remains strategically relevant for many organizations, yet the pace of transformation appears to be slowing. At the same time, new structural drivers are emerging — particularly through financing, supply chain requirements, and regulatory developments.

A closer look at some of the key findings illustrates where companies are today.

Sustainability remains a board-level topic — but momentum is slowing

One of the central findings of the study is that sustainability remains anchored at the highest management level.

• In 73% of companies, responsibility for sustainability lies with the board or executive management.
• At the same time, 59% of companies report that sustainability is losing internal priority.
• In the previous year, this figure was only around 14%.

Companies cite two main reasons for this development:

• uncertain political and regulatory frameworks
• missing economic incentives

Many companies therefore continue to maintain their sustainability ambitions but are more cautious when it comes to implementation and investments.

Many companies have climate targets — but lack concrete transition plans

One of the most insightful elements of the study is the decarbonization journey, which highlights the maturity levels of companies along their climate transition.

The numbers show a clear gap between target setting and actual implementation.

• Around 85% of companies at least partially know their greenhouse gas emissions.
• 59% have already defined climate targets.
• Roughly 50% have Scope 1 and Scope 2 targets.

However, the maturity level drops significantly when looking at implementation:

• Only about 29% have a concrete transition plan in place.
• Around 21% align their climate strategies with scientific pathways or external frameworks.
• Only 15% of companies currently consider themselves “on track” to achieve their climate targets.

The main challenge therefore lies not in defining climate ambitions, but in operationalizing and managing the transformation.

Sustainability is increasingly becoming a financing issue

Another important insight from the study concerns the role of banks and financial institutions.

Currently, only

• 30% of companies and
• 37% of banks

consider sustainability a major factor in financing discussions.

However, the outlook from the financial sector is very clear: 79% of banks expect sustainability data to play a significantly larger role in financing decisions in the future.

This means sustainability will increasingly influence:

• credit decisions
• risk assessments
• financing conditions

As a result, pressure will not only come from regulation but also from capital markets and financial institutions.

Sustainability is becoming part of operational management

In practice, a clear trend is already visible. Many sustainability requirements arise not only from regulation but from market dynamics.

Examples include:

• customer sustainability requirements for suppliers
• ESG ratings and assessments
• sustainable finance requirements
• climate targets cascading through supply chains

As a consequence, sustainability is shifting from a reporting exercise to an operational management topic.

Typical questions companies are currently facing include:

• How can emissions be systematically measured and managed?
• How can climate targets be operationalized?
• How can Scope 3 emissions in supply chains be addressed?
• How can ESG data be integrated into reporting and financing processes?

Practical approaches to these topics can be found, for example, in different sustainability management practices such as:

Carbon accounting https://dfge.de/co2-bilanzierung/

Decarbonization strategies https://dfge.de/dekarbonisierung/

EcoVadis support https://dfge.de/ecovadis/

CDP advisory https://dfge.de/cdp/

A new phase of sustainability transformation

The results of the Sustainability Transformation Monitor do not indicate a retreat from sustainability.

Instead, they suggest that companies are entering a new phase of transformation.

The focus is shifting from

“Why sustainability?”

to

“How do we operationally manage the transition?”

Key success factors in this new phase will include:

• stable regulatory frameworks
• economic incentives
• stronger integration between companies, financial markets, and supply chains

Sustainability remains a board-level priority — but it is increasingly becoming a core management task across the entire business model.

Wolfgang Berger is Sustainability Expert and Vice President Business Development at DFGE (www.dfge.de)