Sustainability professionals are achieving stronger environmental outcomes despite facing reduced resources, shrinking budgets and declining access to senior decision-makers, according to the new State of the Profession Report 2026 from the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP).
The report reveals a profession navigating a difficult operating environment, with political uncertainty, economic pressures and growing reporting requirements all reshaping sustainability functions. Yet greenhouse gas reduction activity has increased significantly, with 64% of respondents reporting active reductions in emissions, up from 52% a year ago. Waste reduction and water performance have also improved.
However, progress is being delivered against a backdrop of declining organisational support.
The proportion of sustainability professionals reporting directly to a board or CEO fell from 48% to 42%, while 44% of organisations now operate without a dedicated sustainability budget, up from 32% last year.
The report identifies a defining tension across the profession: rising expectations coupled with falling resources.
Among the most significant trends identified are:
- A 12 percentage point increase in organisations actively reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Social value and social impact becoming one of the fastest-growing sustainability disciplines, growing 20% year on year. - Biodiversity and nature responsibilities expanding rapidly, now featuring in 63% of sustainability roles.
- Sustainability budgets becoming increasingly focused on compliance, reporting and assurance activities rather than innovation and transformation.
- AI emerging as both a major opportunity and a growing concern, with only 14% of organisations incorporating sustainability considerations into AI usage policies.
The report also suggests that the rapid expansion of sustainability teams seen in recent years may be ending. Very large organisations reported reductions in specialist and generalist sustainability staff, while organisations increasingly rely on sustainability champions embedded elsewhere in the business.
Despite these pressures, nearly half of professionals remain optimistic about the future, pointing to a profession that continues to mature and adapt rather than retreat.
Sarah Mukherjee MBE, CEO of ISEP, said: “This year’s findings show a profession proving its value under pressure. Environmental performance is improving, but professionals are increasingly being asked to achieve more with fewer resources, less budget, and reduced organisational influence. The challenge now is ensuring governance and investment keep pace with expectations.”
Laila Takeh FISEP, report author and independent consultant, said: “What the data indicates is professionals sustaining or improving output on GHG, waste and water metrics against a backdrop of declining access to the board and budget. That’s a strong result, but it could breed complacency. Purposeful ‘sustainable by design’ transformation at every level needs to be considered — the numbers this year describe resilience, not a sustainable operating model.”
To read the report, visit: https://www.isepglobal.org/state-of-the-profession/
