This report is a summary of 640 studies over 10 years.  That’s a LOT of data. 

You already know most of what it says.  Some of the numbers below might be a bit different than what you were expecting, but the overall message, which is that companies that can prove their environmental sustainability commitment are doing much better than their peers; and the value is far, far, far greater than the cost of becoming, maintaining and promoting your sustainability commitment (ie, certification and verification).

Further, the gap between certified sustainable companies and their non-certified peers continues to widen.  As government compliance, Scope 3 mandates, consumer demand, corporate demand, lender demand, investor demand, and employee demand grow, you are falling further behind every year if you are not certified.

You have budgeted money for a variety of things for your business in 2026.  None of them will deliver the combined ROI numbers you see below.

As you go through the bullets, think about what these performance numbers would mean for your company in 2026 and future years.

As to Performance against the stock market, environmentally sustainable companies:

• Outperformed the stock market by 206% – 1,681% over the ten-year period

As to Growth, environmentally sustainable companies enjoyed:

• 2x – 5x growth versus their competitors
• (Poor sustainability performance drives a loss in revenues by as much as 10% annually)

As to Products, environmental sustainability products:

• Grew 6x faster than their non-sustainable competitive peers

As to having a Sustainability Label or Badge, it can:

• Increase consumer demand 13 – 14% immediately after you start promoting it

As to what consumers are willing to spend, consumers are Paying (not just saying they will pay):

• 10% – 150% more for products from sustainable companies

Procurement managers will Pay:

• A 15% premium for sustainable products or services

Environmentally sustainable companies have a Cost of Debt that is:

• 42% lower than their non-sustainable competitive peers

Companies that can prove their sustainability claims enjoy a Cost of Equity that is:

• 29% lower than their non-sustainable peers

As to the cost associated with Negative Events, a company with a strong sustainability brand:

• Will lose an average of $1.14 billion less in market value when faced with a negative brand event than a peer that does not have a strong sustainability brand

As to using environmental sustainability as a Branding Tool to take business away from competitors, here is the annual dollar amount being taken by sustainability companies from their non-sustainable competitive peers:

• $9.4 billion annually switching in the food and grocery industry
• $8.4 billion annually switching in the general insurance industry
• $6.2 billion annually switching in the pension fund industry
• $3.9 billion annually switching in the retail grocery industry
• $3.6 billion annually in the energy provider industry
• $2.6 billion annually in the banking industry
• $2.6 billion annually in the automotive industry
• $2.5 billion annually in the telecom industry
• $1.9 billion in the fashion and retail industry
• $1.9 billion annually in the quick service restaurant industry
• $1.0 billion annually in the liquor industry
• $0.5 billion in the airline industry

As to Firm Value, environmentally sustainable companies saw a boost of:

• Enterprise value of 36% – 180%

As to a company’s Financial Performance, sustainability has the potential to boost:

• Profitability by as much as 21%
• Shareholder return by as much as 6%

As to a company’s Sales and Revenues, sustainability can increase:

• B2B sales by as much as 20%
• B2C sales by as much as 20%

As a Vendor, being sustainability can:

• Boost your sales by over 2.2x
• Increase share price by as much as 5.62%
• Increase profitability by as much as 3%
• Increase trade credit by as much as 17.6%

As to Risk and Financing Costs, sustainability can:

• Reduce the risk of investing in an asset by +30%
• Reduce the risk that impacts your company by 71% if you advertise
• Reduce the cost of equity by +14%
• Reduce the cost of debt by +10%
• Improve your credit rating by 4.5% per unit of improvement on your sustainability rating
• Reduce your loan default rates by as much as 0.3% for each unit increase in sustainability performance

As to Human Resources, sustainability can:

• Improve talent attraction by as much as 69%
• Decrease employee turnover by as much as 57%
• Improve employee morale by as much as 55%
• Boost employee productivity by as much as 21%
• Reduce employee wage costs by as much as 12.4%

As to Cost Reduction, sustainability can:

• Reduce operating costs by as much as 45%
• Reduce supply chain management by as much as 16%
• Lower overall COGS by 2.6%
• Lowers overall SG&A

Each of the above bullets, on its own, is greater than the cost of having your company become and maintain its sustainability certification.  Added up, nothing you will do in 2026 will deliver more value. 

Oh, and it helps the environment and future generations too!

So, will you continue to ignore the data, or will you act?

If you decide to act, read this on what you want in a sustainability program, watch this master class, and contact us.

Genergy ( https://genergy.com/ ) provides AI-powered sub-metering energy management solutions for property managers and businesses.  Genergy’s founders have been in the Energy Management business for over 35 years, positioning the company to national prominence in the industry. The company has continued its environmental sustainability commitment by renewing and extending its Edenark Group ISO 14001 sustainability certification through 2026.

The Edenark Group ISO 14001 is the world’s premier environmental sustainability certification program and allows SMEs (small to mid-sized enterprises) the ability to attain the world’s most popular environmental certification standard via a program designed and priced specifically for them.   Edenark Group also helps clients pursue carbon neutrality and ESG compliance, using the Edenark Group ISO 14001 as a foundation for long term compliance.

The program, which allows companies to progressively improve at a pace that works for their needs, helps the organization define how it interacts internally, externally, and with the environment.  It incorporates energy/waste/water, employee health and performance enhancement, community involvement, procurement and suppliers, compliance and regulations, emergency/security, and stakeholder engagement.  Benefits include creating a culture of continual improvement, stakeholder engagement, lower costs, higher revenues and profits, improved employee performance, and…… doing the right thing for the environment and current and future generations.

“We are a leader in our space and our innovative approach to infrastructure management helps commercial real estate owners set and achieve their sustainability goals,” says Dario Gristina, Chairman/CEO of Genergy.  “We are passionate about all businesses and buildings, no matter what their size, having a profitable sustainability program.  We also recognize the impact Scope 3 and other regulations will have on organizations; and are a solution for our clients who, as part of their own sustainability programs, need their vendors to also be certified sustainable.”

“In 2026, our team is working on 25 projects that positively impact energy, emissions, supplies, waste, vendor actions and community service,” added Gristina.

“Genergy is a wonderful example of what the world needs more of – an organization that produces a superior product, supports its current stakeholders, shows it cares about future generations via its commitment to sustainability certification, ensures that it is ahead of the compliance curve for the benefit of its clients, and makes more money due to its sustainability programs,” said David Goodman, CEO of Edenark Group.  “When an organization executes the Edenark Group ISO 14001 sustainability certification, as Genergy is doing, it not only benefits the environment, but it also benefits its own operation,” added Goodman.

Genergy (https://genergy.com/) can be reached at +1.212.664.7600

Edenark Group can be reached at +1 561.512.2257

United Tech Employee Management, a Palm Beach, Florida-based, family-owned, employee leasing, payroll, workers’ comp, and unemployment administration company, has renewed its Edenark Group ISO 14001 environmental sustainability certification through 2026.

The Edenark Group ISO 14001 is the world’s premier environmental sustainability certification program and allows SMEs (small to mid-sized enterprises) the ability to attain the world’s most popular environmental certification standard via a program designed and priced specifically for them.

The program, which allows companies to progressively improve at a pace that works for their needs, helps the organization define how it interacts internally, externally, and with the environment. It incorporates energy/waste/water, employee health and performance enhancement, community involvement, procurement and suppliers, compliance and regulations, emergency/security, and stakeholder engagement. Benefits include creating a culture of continual improvement, stakeholder engagement, lower costs, higher revenues and profits, improved employee performance, and…… doing the right thing for the environment.

“We have deep desire to help improve our community; serving people and protecting future generations is at the core of our culture. We are choosing to be part of the solution,” said Kristina Smith, President of United Tech Employee Management. “Our model allows our services to scale and grow as our clients grow. We like the fact that the Edenark Group ISO 14001 program follows the same philosophy of progressive improvement, allowing us to continue to grow and improve in our sustainability effort every year,” added Smith.

“Sustainability is not a one-and-done event. It is a process of continual improvement. Any organization that claims to be sustainable and does not have an annual certification via a globally-recognized program with 3rd party verification is greenwashing; they are not willing to have their actions validated. When an organization attains and renews the Edenark Group ISO 14001 sustainability certification, they are not just doing it to see their costs go down and revenues and profits go up; they are setting a higher bar for their organization and sending a signal to all those around them,” says David Goodman, CEO of Edenark Group. “They are agreeing to adhere to the world’s Gold standard for sustainability certification; are choosing to be a leader and part of the solution, not the problem; and are joining an elite fraternity of over 300,000 organizations, in over 150 countries, that have committed to continually improve in every way.”

United Tech Employee Management can be reached at +1 561.594.4892

Edenark Group can be reached at +1 561.512.2257

The 2026 Earth Overshoot Day is July 30.

In preparation for that, let’s look at the chart on this post which is the 2026 Earth Overshoot Date if everyone on the planet would consume as your country consumes.

As you can see from the chart, some countries are worse than others, but none are net-negative.

So, back to the global date of July 30 – What are you doing in honor of it, other than ignoring it?

Per the WWF, vertebrate species (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, bony fishes, cartilaginous fishes and jawless fishes) decreased in population by 73% between 1970 – 2020.

The annual rate of decline is 2.6%.  Net, this year, we are down to approximately 23.1% of the vertebrate species population we had in 1970.

By 2032 we will have lost over 80% of all vertebrate species population.

As many of you know, Edenark Group promotes a plant-based diet, due to the environmental cost and health risk of a meat diet.

Pretty soon, like it or not, you will be eating just plants too.

As we turn our attention to the second half of 2026….

Are You Doing All You Can to Grow Your Company?

HAVE YOU DONE EVERYTHING TO MAXIMIZE MARGINS?

Per Nielsen, a certified sustainable company, promoting same, enjoys a 5% year-on-year price increase.  Its non-sustainable competitors grow prices 1% year-on-year.

If you are not a certified sustainable company, and enjoying the promotional benefits of same, per Nielsen, you are leaving 4% on the table, year-on-year.

HOW ARE YOU DIFFERENTIATING YOUR BUSINESS?

Per MIT / BCG, the biggest challenge facing your business is competitive differentiation.

Per Cone / Ebiquity Global CSR, 84% of consumers seek companies that have differentiated by becoming certified sustainable.

Per Symbola, companies that have differentiated with our standard are growing 20x faster than their non-certified competitive peers.

If you are not certified sustainable, you are not growing as fast as your competitors who are?

HOW WILL YOU INFLUENCE THE LARGEST BUYING GROUP?

Per Forbes, the largest buying group (19 – 39 year olds) disbelieve 99% of all advertising that does not have 3^rd party verification/certification.

Further, per Forbes, before visiting a company or purchasing a product, they review a company’s environmental standing and 9 out of 10 (87%) of them will then purchase from, and remain loyal to, a company that has proven (certified) its environmental standing.

If your competitor becomes certified sustainable before you, you will lose market share.

WILL YOU BE A MARKET SHARE GIVER OR TAKER?

Per a number of studies/reports, including Unilever, there is a +$2 Trillion gap between consumers looking to move their business to certified sustainable organizations….and the availability of same.

This takes us back to the Symbola study showing that certified sustainable small to mid-sized businesses are growing 20x faster than their non-certified peers.

If you are not certified sustainable and a competitor becomes so, you will be a market share giver.

WILL YOU BE TOO BUSY TO TAKE BUSINESS FROM YOUR COMPETITORS?

Per an A. T. Kearney study, sustainable companies outperform their peers by 15%.

Yet, the top reason executives give for not pursuing sustainability is, “I’m too busy.”  

So, back to the first question as we prepare for the balance of 2026 – Are you doing all you can to grow your company?

Per this article, CO2 emissions, largely driven by human activity, is rising 10 times faster than at any time in recorded history.

When a far less rapid growth happened 50,000 years ago it triggered an environmental chain reaction impacting oceans and climate.

For those saying “Fake News” or “This is just a cycle” or “It is not my job”, we wish you were right.

Buckle up!

Per this study of +1,000 small business leaders, having a sustainability expert on the board of directors is second only to having a financial expert…and ahead of expertise in sales, marketing, IT, operations, legal, ex cetera.

• The first thing many of you will say is, “We don’t even have a formalized board of directors. We have a board of advisors.” 
• Regardless of the form of your board, point is, having an expert on sustainability as part of that group is essential to your go-forward success due to market demand, opportunity and risk.

Edenark Group serves as sustainability advisor to every client it has; and sits on the client’s Green Team.  Given that the Edenark Group ISO 14001 program delivers a positive ROI, this is a very cost-effective way to have a sustainability expert advise the leadership of your organization. 

If you would like to talk with us about having a sustainability expert for your board of directors or board of advisors, send us a note via this form.

Per this article, 45% of SMEs have already increased their sustainable projects over the last 12 months and 65% of SMEs are planning more sustainability projects over the coming 12 months.

This is great to see!

If you are planning more sustainability projects, remember the rule:

• You can talk about the project – “We put solar on the roof.”
• But you cannot use the project to imply your company is sustainable or green or eco-friendly – In other words, you cannot say “We are an eco-friendly company that put solar on the roof,” as that is greenwashing.
• Making green, sustainable or eco-friendly claims about your company requires being certified under a standard, allowing your claim to be attached to the standard – ie, “We are an environmentally certified sustainable company under the Edenark Group ISO 14001”

If you are doing more sustainable projects, WONDERFUL!!!!  This is what every company should be doing.

But if you want the brand/revenue-side benefit of talking about being a good corporate citizen and doing sustainable projects, you need to be certified/verified under a globally respected standard.

If you care about sustainability, why not talk about it and lead others?

• Like it or not, consumers are evaluating your company on its sustainability effort
• A meaningful part of your company’s value is tied to its sustainability effort
• Greenwashing (promoting a sustainability effort that is not validated/certified by a 3^rd party) will hurt you
• Greenhushing (not promoting a sustainability program that is 3^rd party validated/certified) will hurt you
• You need a 3^rd party certified/validated sustainability program that helps you promote your real/accurate sustainability efforts
• This masterclass explains what to look for in a program