A new global study reveals that organizations are shifting their approach to sustainability from a compliance exercise to a core driver of business value and innovation. The third annual Global Sustainability Barometer Study, conducted by Ecosystm and announced by Kyndryl in collaboration with Microsoft, identifies that integration-focused companies - those aligning sustainability with business strategy and leveraging advanced technologies like AI - are outperforming their peers.
Quick Intel
A Kyndryl and Microsoft study shows a shift from sustainability compliance to value creation.
Integration-focused organizations embed sustainability into innovation and cost-saving strategies.
59% of organizations worldwide report financial benefits from sustainability investments.
30% of all organizations are piloting or deploying agentic AI for sustainability goals.
56% of IT teams now lead sustainability efforts beyond IT, up from 38% in 2024.
Europe leads in aligning tech modernization and AI for sustainability due to regulation.
The study highlights a decisive split between leaders and laggards. Integration-focused organizations, which make up 62% of leaders, embed sustainability directly into their innovation, cost savings, and resilience strategies. This transforms it from a reporting requirement into a catalyst for long-term growth and competitive advantage. A key enabler is IT, with 78% of these leaders highlighting technology as critical to achieving their sustainability goals through data, automation, and AI.
The business case for sustainability is strengthening, with 59% of organizations globally reporting tangible financial benefits. These gains are primarily realized through improved operational efficiency, enhanced customer retention, and access to new market opportunities. The role of IT is expanding rapidly in this area, with 56% of IT teams now leading sustainability efforts beyond their own department, a significant increase from 38% just one year prior.
A notable trend is the early adoption of AI to move from tracking to action. Globally, 30% of all organizations are piloting or deploying agentic AI for sustainability, with early adopters reporting measurable gains in cost savings and innovation. The study notes that industries like energy, banking, and transport are leading in AI adoption, using it not just for energy optimization but also for operational resilience and sustainable product design.
The findings from the Global Sustainability Barometer underscore a fundamental change in corporate strategy. By integrating sustainability with core business operations and empowering it with predictive and agentic AI, organizations are building greater resilience and unlocking new sources of value, proving that environmental responsibility and profitability are increasingly intertwined.
About Kyndryl
Kyndryl (NYSE: KD) is a leading provider of mission-critical enterprise technology services, offering advisory, implementation and managed service capabilities to thousands of customers in more than 60 countries. As the world's largest IT infrastructure services provider, the company designs, builds, manages and modernizes the complex information systems that the world depends on every day.
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