The OECD Global Corporate Sustainability Report 2025 provides a comprehensive picture of how sustainability practices have evolved among publicly listed companies worldwide, examining governance, transparency, executive remuneration, and investment in environmental research and development. Based on a sample of over 44,000 companies with a combined market capitalization of USD 125 trillion, the report offers a detailed view of both progress made and the persistent challenges in transitioning toward more sustainable business models.
Transparency on the rise: 91% of global market capitalization discloses ESG information
Between 2022 and 2024, the share of global market capitalization represented by companies publishing sustainability information increased from 86% to 91%. In absolute terms, almost 12,900 companies now report ESG data, compared to 9,600 in 2022.
The energy sector is the most transparent (94% of its market capitalization), while real estate ranks lowest (78%).
Companies reporting their Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions account for 88% of total global market capitalization, while 76% disclose at least one category of Scope 3 emissions related to their value chain. This marks significant progress, indicating growing maturity in managing climate risks, even though the quality and comparability of data remain uneven.
Reporting standards and assurance: moving toward greater convergence
In 2024, 42% of companies publishing sustainability information had their data externally assured. However, most cases involve limited assurance (56%), while only 17% opted for the more stringent reasonable assurance. More than half of all assurance engagements are conducted by auditing firms.
Methodologically, companies continue to use a wide range of standards and frameworks. The most widely adopted globally are:
- the GRI Standards, used by more than 6,500 companies;
- the TCFD Recommendations (4,800 companies);
- the SASB Standards (3,500 companies).
Adoption of the new IFRS S1 and S2 standards issued by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) is also increasing, with 582 companies applying them. In Europe, approximately 1,800 companies will be required to adopt the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) from 2025 onward. This regulatory convergence marks a major step toward globally comparable reporting practices.
Governance and incentives: the growing role of boards and sustainability-linked remuneration
The integration of sustainability into corporate governance mechanisms is advancing slowly but shows encouraging signs.
Globally, 10% of listed companies link executive remuneration to ESG objectives, a share that rises to 21% in the energy sector. In Europe, the practice is more common (23% of companies, representing 89% of regional market capitalization), while in emerging Asia it drops to 6%.
The most common non-financial indicators used in remuneration policies relate to health, safety, and environment (HSE), carbon emission reduction, and the energy transition, with growing attention also given to diversity and inclusion.
However, direct links between pay and measurable climate objectives remain limited: only 2% of companies (4% in the energy sector) include emission reduction targets as remuneration KPIs.
The energy sector: a crucial yet contradictory landscape
The OECD devotes a specific focus to the energy sector, which alone accounts for nearly one-third of total corporate emissions disclosed globally.
Although it shows the highest levels of disclosure, the sector exhibits significant misalignments between environmental commitments and capital allocation. Only 7% of energy companies disclose the share of investments dedicated to “green” projects, and just 2.5% report spending on environmental research and development.
Between 2015 and 2024, energy companies tripled dividend payouts and share buybacks, while net investments grew by less than 5%. After a decade of growth, R&D spending declined by 14% in 2024.
Double materiality assessments: wide gaps between impacts and financial risks
Examining 42 double materiality assessments conducted by energy companies under the EU’s CSRD framework, the OECD highlights a consistent pattern: most companies recognize significant environmental impacts (86% cite biodiversity, 79% water, 74% pollution), yet only a minority consider these as material financial risks (36% in the case of biodiversity).
This disconnect suggests that, in many cases, economic incentives are still insufficient to mitigate negative impacts on the environment and society.
Conclusions
The Global Corporate Sustainability Report 2025 portrays a dynamic landscape in which sustainability has become a core component of corporate strategy, though the depth and quality of practices vary considerably across regions and sectors.
The trends indicate substantial progress in transparency and standard alignment but also underscore the need to bridge the gap between commitments and concrete actions, especially in terms of investments, incentives, and impact measurement.
The OECD calls on governments and markets to strengthen governance tools and impact-based pricing policies to better channel private capital toward the sustainable transition and build the foundations of truly resilient long-term growth.
