This article in the New York Post reports on this study and is consistent with other studies we have reported.  Key points

• Almost two-thirds of respondents stated they were more likely to apply to a job for a company that committed to sustainable practices.
• Three out of five respondents said they avoid employers they perceive as having a negative impact on the environment.
• 54% of respondents said that sustainability played a role in their motivation to work remotely.

Simple math – If you are looking to hire and 60% of the possible candidates will avoid you if they perceive your company is a negative impact on the environment, your hiring effort will be negatively impacted.

Sure, you can mask it.  But once they learn the truth, and they quit, the cost to you will be greater than had they not taken the position in the first place.

The Under 40 worker wants to work for a company that can prove it cares about the environment.  The Under 26 worker has an even higher expectation of same.

Those are the workers that are the future of your company.

If you want to improve your ability to hire and retain talent, read this on what you want in a sustainability program, watch this master class, and contact us.

Consistent with our prior discussions on this point, this Forbes article explains that society has changed dramatically in the past 20 years

• “…the new reality in which corporations must operate (includes) a laundry list of sustainability-related vulnerabilities they have to account for.”
• Specific to hiring, it is expected there will soon be 85 million unfilled jobs due to the lack of skilled people.

Your ability to hire and retain talent at a price you can afford will directly influence your ability to remain in business.

Consider this:

• Your future work force is Millennials and Gen Z – The people in this picture.  They have different needs and expectations than prior generations
• More than 40% of Millennials and Gen Z plan to change jobs due to climate concerns – Net, if you are not able to prove you are sustainable and have a legitimate and actionable sustainability / climate program, expect to struggle with hiring and retention
• +76% of Millennials consider environmental / sustainability / ESG commitments when deciding where to work – Net, if you are not able to prove you are sustainable and have a legitimate environmental program, your ability to attract and retain quality talent will be solely driven by your willingness to over-pay. And, even then, expect them to leave when they find a certified sustainable company

If you want to beat your peers at hiring and retaining top talent, read this on what you want in a sustainability program, watch this master class, and contact us.

Per this report from Berkeley Earth, 2025 was the third warmest year on record:

• 2025 was 1.44°C above the 1850 – 1900 average (we want to remain below 1.5°C)
• 2024 was hottest year; 2023 was second and 2025 was third
• As the chart shows, we have been progressively warming for over 150 years
• 2026 is expected to be similar to 2025

Per this article by Wellness Magazine, the best program to fight cognitive decline is the program offered at Gym for the Brain, incorporating Best You Can Be supplements and specific targeted modalities.

If you know someone not willing to accept cognitive decline without a fight, have them contact Gym for the Brain.

As we reported previously, and as this article explains, there is a rise in consumer class action ‘greenwashing’ lawsuits in California.

This is consistent with the rise in greenwashing lawsuits worldwide.

Takeaway:

• If you are not an environmentally certified sustainable company and are making environmental claims, there are some US states, like California, New York and Washington, and countries, like Canada, Japan and Australia, and unions, like the EU, where the risk for you is very high, due to the laws already in place. Other states, countries and unions are not far behind.  The problem, of course, is – how do you cost-effectively do different packaging and promotion in the high-risk areas versus the lower risk areas?  Simply stated, becoming certified sustainable would be far less expensive than the gyrations needed to dodge the evolving laws around the world.
• If you have no interest in becoming certified sustainable, it would be best to remove all environmental mentions.
• On the other hand, if you are promoting your company and/or products as green, that suggests you believe there is value in doing it. If so, you might as well legitimize your claims.

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

Can you find your country in the picture?

This is the 2026 Earth Overshoot Day by Country.

Earth Overshoot Day by Country marks the date when humanity’s annual demand for ecological resources exceeds what Earth could regenerate in that year if everyone consumed like the residents of a particular country.

For instance, the 2026 Earth Overshoot Day for Qatar is February 4.  If everyone on the planet consumed like they do in Qatar, we would need 10 Earths.

We have been exceeding Earth’s regeneration capacity since 1971(45 years)!  We are at a global consumption capacity that requires 1.8 Earths.

Next time you are at the store and feel prices keep going up, remember this chart.

Welcome to 2026!

If your company has chosen to ignore the environmental drum beat and plans to prove your sustainability commitment only when forced, things will get progressively harder this year.

In the United States, even with non-proactive federal environmental policies, the following continues to occur:

• 48 states have climate action plans.
• 24 states and the District of Columbia have greenhouse gas reduction programs.
• 40% of the US GDP comes from states with laws requiring reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
• 13 states have laws directly regulating business emissions.
• 5 states have laws requiring large companies to report their emissions.
• Starting January 1, 2026, New York became the 3^rd state (joining California and Washington) to implement greenhouse gas reporting requirements for its general business community). These three states account for 26% of the US GDP.
• Like it or not, your business will be impacted.

Globally, we see the following: 

• 92% of global GDP is via countries that have national net-zero pledges.
• 46% of global GDP is from countries who are reducing their emissions.
• By the end of 2026, over 50% of the world’s GDP will be from countries that are reducing their emissions.
• If you continue to ignore, it will be progressively harder to do business.

How about consumer trends?

• 85% of consumers have changed their buying loyalties to sustainable companies.
• 80% of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable products.
• 73% of consumers globally are willing to leave you if they find a sustainable company doing what you do.
• Net, you are swimming up stream against a pretty strong current.

Yeah, but what about actual performance?

• As previously reported, using 640 studies over 10 years, no matter what financial metric you want to look at – profit, sales, growth, margin, et cetera – you are falling further behind the certified sustainable competitor down the street.
• The gap will continue to widen.
• If you missed your Plan in 2025 and you do not become certified sustainable in early 2026, odds are, you will continue to miss your Plan.

What does this mean for your company?

• You snooze; you lose!

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

Here are six big predictions for 2026 from Rory Burghes of Capgemini Invent.

Let’s look at them as ideas for your company.

The era of authenticity

Performative messaging is out, radical transparency is in.  In effect, it is ok to admit you are not perfect, but you need to show progress – real, measurable sustainability steps.

Question: Is your company capable of showing its sustainability commitment?

Sustainability as a business imperative

The business case for sustainability will continue to progress from moral obligation to strategic fundamental value creation – profitability, efficiency, and cost savings.

Question: Is your 2026 Plan using sustainability for value creation?

The shift towards greener data centers

AI’s environmental footprint will prompt greater caution in 2026 and finding ways to lessen the damage caused by these data centers will be a key focus and opportunity.

Question: Does your company have an opportunity to contribute to this?

Adaptation becomes the norm

As climate volatility creates more insurance exposure and financial risk, climate adaptation will shift from a contingency plan to a core business strategy in 2026.

Question: Does your 2026 budget include climate-related costs and actions?

Sustainability becomes a growth strategy

In 2026, sustainability will no longer be viewed as a cost center – it will be recognized as a driver of business value.

Question: Does your 2026 Plan have CapEx investment for sustainability growth projects?

Designing AI with sustainability in mind

Given the huge energy consumption and environmental damage of AI, businesses will be looking to move from reactive mitigation to proactive integration of sustainability principles when they come to develop AI.

Question: If your company is a user of AI, will you be hiring a sustainability consultant to help you design your AI process to be environmentally friendly?

Question: If you are an AI provider, will you find a sustainability consultant to partner with, allowing you to enhance your offering?

On November 18, 2025, Canada’s federal government introduced Bill C-15.  Going forward, all environmental claims by companies doing business in Canada need to have adequate and proper substantiation.  In effect, companies are required to publicly disclose the evidence supporting their environmental claims and allow for easy verification by consumers, competitors and regulators.

This is relatively easy if your claim is project based:

• As an example – “We put solar on our roof, and it reduced our energy bill by 25%”
• This is an easy claim to substantiate as you can show pictures of the panels on your roof and copies of the pre and post energy bills.

However, providing adequate and proper substantiation when making an environmental claim about your company is practically impossible without being certified under a standard. 

• The standard provides the substantiation for your claim – “We are an environmentally certified sustainable company under the Edenark Group ISO 14001” – as it provides the framework that the claim is based on.

On the other hand, if a company is not certified under a standard and simply says, “We are sustainable” or “We are environmentally friendly” or “We are a green company” or any corporate environmental claims, the question becomes:

• “What is your claim tied to?”
• Or, said a different way, “What globally accepted framework are you using or did you just make this up?”

If you are doing business in Canada and you are making environmental project claims, all you need to do is document the before and after performance.  But if you are making corporate claims of being eco-friendly, or sustainable or green or environmentally friendly, you will need to become certified under a standard, allowing you to make your claim under that standard.

If you decide to become certified+verified under a globally respected program, read this on what you want in a sustainability program, watch this master class, and contact us.

As previously reported and per this article, starting 27 September 2026, it will be against the law for a company to display a sustainability label on products sold in the EU, that is not based on a ‘certification scheme’ which is defined as a 3^rd-party certification/verification program.

This gives every company that sells products in the EU and is making environmental, sustainability, eco, or green claims via a label on those products, nine months to either stop the claim or become environmentally certified and 3^rd party verified under a program; then change its labels accordingly….AND make the change early enough to address inventory life + shelf-life.  If a company’s product has a typical inventory life + shelf life of three months, that means they only have six months to change their labels.     

If you are thinking, “Well, we’ll just find someone to fabricate a certification program to get us by,” you are going to find the bar is quite a bit higher.  Further, any money you spend on a short-term program that is not globally recognized is going to be wasted, as the next area of focus will be to eliminate those certification programs that do not include the necessary components.

Net, the clock is ticking.    

If you decide to become certified+verified under a globally respected program, read this on what you want in a sustainability program, watch this master class, and contact us.