CSOs' Outlook September 2026: Central challenge for CSOs and business leaders

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day, reviewed by our editorial team. Read the full piece on World Economic Forum or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: The World Economic Forum’s inaugural Chief Sustainability Officers’ Outlook finds that sustainability remains embedded in corporate decision-making, despite a more uncertain operating environment
• The report draws on the views of 103 chief sustainability officers from the WEF’s global community.

🔭 The context: 63% expect sustainability progress to either remain steady or accelerate over the next year
• Over the medium term, executives identify a stronger business case and cheaper, more practical technologies as the main potential drivers, while policy uncertainty, short-term pressures and geopolitical volatility could slow progress across markets

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The findings suggest climate and sustainability action is increasingly being linked to business value, resilience and investment rather than treated as a standalone corporate objective
• The report also highlights adaptation as a growing priority as companies respond to physical climate risks.

⏭️ What’s next: Chief sustainability officers are expected to focus increasingly on integrating sustainability into commercial and operational decisions, while assessing both the opportunities and resource demands of AI
• The central challenge is turning sustainability commitments into decisions that remain viable through economic and geopolitical shifts

💬 One quote: The report’s central challenge is to “translate sustainability into decisions that create value, strengthen resilience and can withstand changing economic, political and geopolitical conditions.”

📈 One stat: 63% of surveyed sustainability leaders expect progress to hold steady or accelerate over the next year

Subscribe to our free newsletters to never miss a beat in sustainability.

The world needs sustainability knowledge. At illuminem, no interest group or shareholder can influence our work. Thank you for supporting our mission to make high-quality and independent sustainability information free for all. Every contribution helps. Thanks for donating today