Accenture Finds Rise In Corporate Net Zero Action

Global corporate momentum toward net zero is regaining strength after a period of hesitation, with new findings from Accenture indicating a notable rise in ambition among the world’s largest companies. According to the consultancy’s Destination Net Zero 2025 report, more firms are not only setting broad value-chain targets but also adopting a wider set of practical decarbonization tools, signalling a shift from climate rhetoric to operational action. The analysis, based on public disclosures from the 4,000 largest global companies by revenue and emissions data from S&P Global Trucost, shows an acceleration in climate commitments across major regions despite increasingly polarized political landscapes.

One of the report’s most significant findings is that 41 percent of the world’s top 2,000 companies now have net zero targets covering their full value chains, including Scopes 1, 2 and 3 emissions. This marks an increase from 37 percent last year, reversing the slowdown recorded previously. Europe continues to lead globally, with nearly two-thirds of major corporations setting comprehensive targets across their operations and supply chains. Asia Pacific has recorded the fastest annual growth in new commitments, while North America, historically slower to move, has also inched upward, with 29 percent of large firms now publicly committing to net zero timelines.

Beyond target-setting, the report identifies a clear transition toward deployment of tangible decarbonization levers. Across the full sample of 4,000 companies, 13 of 21 major decarbonization tools have now been adopted by more than half of global corporates. These tools range from energy efficiency and waste reduction to renewable energy procurement and supplier-level engagement. On average, large companies are now using 13 different levers, up from 11.5 one year ago. Energy efficiency remains the most widely used measure, applied by 87 percent of companies, while 81 percent procure renewable electricity. Close to four in five companies are working directly with suppliers to lower emissions embedded across products and services. The report also highlights rapid growth in climate-linked employee incentives: the share of companies tying emissions outcomes to internal pay structures has grown from 23 percent two years ago to 57 percent today.

The expansion of these tools has contributed to a measurable change in emissions intensity. While corporate revenues have grown by approximately 7 percent annually since 2016, aggregate operational emissions across the world’s largest companies have remained broadly unchanged. About three-quarters of major firms have reduced their emissions intensity over this period, and just over half have achieved reductions in their absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions. These trends indicate that many companies are beginning to separate economic growth from emissions growth, although progress remains uneven.

The report also points to a significant gap between ambition and progress. Only 16 percent of companies are currently on track to achieve operational net zero by 2050. Together, these firms represent just 4 percent of the total emissions captured in the dataset. Heavy-emitting industries—including energy, natural resources and other carbon-intensive sectors—remain behind the global average. In several of these sectors, operational emissions are still rising despite long-term public commitments to net zero, underscoring the scale of the structural transformation required.

Accenture notes that this delivery gap reflects the complex realities of decarbonizing industries that rely on high-emitting processes and long-lived capital assets. While a large majority of companies are now participating in industry coalitions, partnerships and networks aimed at accelerating system-level change, the pace of progress depends heavily on supportive policy frameworks and the availability of capital-intensive technologies. Without predictable policy signals and investment corridors, the report warns that corporate progress in critical sectors may continue to lag.

Governance and financial discipline emerge as key differentiators in emissions performance. Companies that combine science-based targets, detailed transition plans, board-level oversight and climate-linked compensation demonstrate stronger emissions reductions, averaging a 2.6 percent annual decline. Firms without these governance features recorded emissions increases, highlighting the importance of structured climate management rather than standalone target announcements.

Ninety percent of the companies assessed now link decarbonization to business value, reflecting the growing integration of climate considerations into long-term strategic planning. However, fewer than half disclose concrete climate-related investments, and two-thirds do not report the share of revenue generated from sustainable products or services. This lack of transparency presents challenges for investors who are increasingly guided by regulatory frameworks such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) guidelines, both of which require deeper visibility into transition progress and investment alignment.

Overall, Accenture’s findings suggest that decarbonization is becoming more deeply embedded in corporate strategy, even as policy debates around climate intensify globally. While the renewed rise in net zero commitments signals strengthening ambition, the report concludes that accelerating progress in heavy-emitting sectors will be essential for aligning global corporate activity with long-term climate goals. The key question for policymakers, investors and companies is no longer whether action will be taken, but how quickly high-impact measures can be scaled to meet the demands of the global net zero pathway.