U.S. Firms Scale Up Sustainability Systems for Business Value
Companies continue investing despite changing regulations, shift priorities to financial, operational benefits, ISG Provider Lens® report says
U.S. enterprises are expanding their adoption of digital sustainability solutions to improve efficiency, manage risk and strengthen resilience even as federal policies rapidly shift and disclosure requirements recede, according to a new research report published today by Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm.
The 2025 ISG Provider Lens® U.S. and Global Digital Sustainability report finds that U.S. companies are maintaining or increasing investments in sustainability technologies that deliver measurable financial and operational outcomes, particularly in energy-intensive and asset-heavy industries. Rather than focusing on broad compliance programs, enterprises are prioritizing initiatives that lower operating costs, improve data quality and provide sustainability assurance across fragmented regulatory environments at the state, federal and international levels.
"U.S. enterprises are clearly moving from sustainability as a reporting exercise to sustainability as a source of business value," said Kathy Rudy, partner, ISG Data, Analytics and Technology Office. "They understand the ongoing need to embrace evolving business models and energy transformation."
In the U.S. and across global markets, enterprises are engaging with data advisory and integration providers for assistance in building effective strategies and architectures to connect internal and external partner systems, the report says. Global demand is also rising for platforms that provide interoperable, automated data analytics and decision support modelling for sustainability.
One major adoption trend in the U.S. is the creation of enterprise-wide environmental, social and governance (ESG) data systems that align sustainability information with financial records, the report says. Large organizations are consolidating fragmented data sources into single systems of record to reduce reporting costs and improve audit readiness. This approach provides for shorter reporting cycles and consistent disclosures for operations subject to California requirements and international frameworks. Enterprises view integrated ESG data as essential for credible reporting and informed capital allocation.
U.S. companies are also investing heavily in supply chain and product-level transparency to strengthen resilience and manage risk, ISG says. Organizations are adopting solutions that capture detailed supplier data and product carbon footprints for products or bills of materials. These capabilities help companies identify vulnerabilities, respond to customer and investor scrutiny and protect revenue in complex global supply chains. Increasingly, they pursue supply chain visibility for risk management rather than public sustainability commitments.
Investments in energy and grid management technologies are also accelerating as electricity demand rises sharply, the report says. Growth in AI workloads and data centers has made energy availability and cost a board-level concern. Enterprises are deploying systems that optimize energy use, manage distributed energy resources and improve operational efficiency. These investments help companies expand operations while controlling costs and reduced exposure to grid constraints.
"Digital sustainability investments in the U.S. are being justified through hard metrics such as energy savings, reporting speed and risk reduction," said Matt Warburton, principal consultant at ISG and lead author of the report. "Enterprises expect solutions that connect sustainability outcomes directly to financial and operational performance."
The report also explores other sustainability trends in the U.S., including reduced external communications about ESG measures and growing attention to physical climate risk following repeated billion-dollar weather events.
For more insights into the digital sustainability challenges faced by enterprises globally and in the U.S., along with ISG's advice for addressing them, see the ISG Provider Lens® Focal Points briefing here.
The 2025 ISG Provider Lens® U.S. and Global Digital Sustainability report evaluates the capabilities of 68 providers across three quadrants in the U.S. market: Strategy and Enablement Services, OT and Industry-Specific Solutions and Services and IT Solutions and Services.
The report names Accenture, Capgemini, Cognizant, HCLTech, IBM, Infosys, TCS and Wipro as Leaders in all three U.S. quadrants. It names Deloitte, EY, NTT DATA and PwC as Leaders in two quadrants each. BCG, ERM, Hitachi Digital Services, Kyndryl, L&T Technology Services, McKinsey & Company, Microsoft and Schneider Electric are named as Leaders in one quadrant each.
In addition, Atos, Genpact and Siemens are named as Rising Stars — companies with a "promising portfolio" and "high future potential" by ISG's definition — in one quadrant each.
The report also evaluates the capabilities of 56 providers across two quadrants that span the global market: Data Advisory and Integration Services and Data Platforms and Managed Services.
The report names Accenture, Capgemini, Cognizant, Genpact, HCLTech, IBM, Infosys, Tech Mahindra and Wipro as Leaders in both global quadrants. It names Cority, Deloitte, EcoVadis, EY, LTIMindtree, Microsoft, PwC, SAP, Sphera, Wolters Kluwer and Workiva as Leaders in one quadrant each.
In addition, Deutsche Telekom/T-Systems is named as a Rising Star — a company with a "promising portfolio" and "high future potential" by ISG's definition — in one quadrant.
The 2025 ISG Provider Lens® U.S. and Global Digital Sustainability report is available to subscribers or for one-time purchase on this webpage.
About ISG Provider Lens® Research
The ISG Provider Lens® Quadrant research series is the only service provider evaluation of its kind to combine empirical, data-driven research and market analysis with the real-world experience and observations of ISG's global advisory team. Enterprises will find a wealth of detailed data and market analysis to help guide their selection of appropriate sourcing partners, while ISG advisors use the reports to validate their own market knowledge and make recommendations to ISG's enterprise clients. The research currently covers providers offering their services globally, across Europe, as well as in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, the U.K., France, Benelux, Germany, Switzerland, the Nordics, Australia and Singapore/Malaysia, with additional markets to be added in the future. For more information about ISG Provider Lens research, please visit this webpage.
About ISG
ISG (Nasdaq: III) is a global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm. A trusted partner to more than 900 clients, including 75 of the world's top 100 enterprises, ISG is a long-time leader in technology and business services that is now at the forefront of leveraging AI to help organizations achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm, founded in 2006, is known for its proprietary market data, in-depth knowledge of provider ecosystems, and the expertise of its 1,600 professionals worldwide working together to help clients maximize the value of their technology investments.
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