Technology leaders are taking a larger role in corporate sustainability, according to findings from the 2025 CTO Climate Transition Insights Survey discussed at COP30. The survey was developed by the consulting firm Kearney and the media platform We Don’t Have Time, drawing on responses from 300 CTOs and CIOs worldwide. It explores how digital tools, AI, and data systems are shaping the transition to net zero.
Energy Management Tops the CTO Agenda
Early results show that most technology executives now have sustainability on their agenda, though it is rarely a top priority. The leading focus area is energy management, particularly in data centers, smart buildings, and supply chains. Waste reduction and decarbonization follow, but with a noticeable gap in attention compared with energy efficiency.
Beth Bovis, the Global Sustainability and Social Impact Leader at Kearney, said the main driver remains regulation. “In some sectors we saw the emergence of B to B customers putting pressure on the CTO because they’re looking to do things in their supply chains,” Ms. Bovis said. “But they don’t feel pressure from their boards.”
About half of the respondents said they systematically embed sustainability into their investment or technology decisions, which contrasts sharply with last year’s survey of CFOs, where more than 90 percent considered sustainability in business cases.
Building and funding the future
Ingmar Rentzhog, CEO of We Don’t Have Time, argued that technology and finance leaders must now take ownership of the transition.
“If we are going to fix the future, we need to talk to the people that are funding the future and building the future,” Mr. Rentzhog said. That means the CFOs and CTOs.
Mr. Rentzhog added that regulation can accelerate innovation, pointing to the EU’s decision to standardize charging ports as an example of policy driving technical change. When the rules are clear, engineers can deliver and it becomes better for everyone, he said.
AI as a Catalyst and a Challenge
Both speakers agreed that artificial intelligence can be a powerful tool for sustainability if managed correctly. AI’s potential lies in optimizing energy and water systems, predicting climate risks, and improving efficiency across industries. But its energy footprint remains a concern.
AI is an incredible tool for innovation and will speed things up, but it consumes massive amounts of power, Mr. Rentzhog said. The companies that make AI more energy-efficient will win, he said.
AI might also be the solution to the problems it causes.
“I think AI is a catalyst for not only energy management, but water management, and it will really, it will really help us get that to scale, and get the cost where it needs to be,” Ms. Bovis said.
She added that open-source models could help organizations build sustainable solutions. That knowledge could help people trying to do new things learn how to do them sustainably, she said.
Regional Differences and Organizational Barriers
Hani Tohme, Head of Sustainability for Kearney’s Middle East and Africa region, noted wide differences in how sustainability is managed. CTOs are not leading the climate agenda in some countries, instead it’s the CEOs and even sovereign wealth funds. The maturity and acceptance of sustainability varies depending on industry and region, he said.
Panelists agreed that sustainability efforts succeed only when top executives work together. The CEO, CFO, and CTO must align, Mr. Rentzhog said, but the heads of communications and public affairs also belong in that room making sustainability decisions, he said. Their role is to manage resistance from slower-moving competitors. The slow movers are influential in the media and in public policy. Innovation leaders have to explain why change is necessary and communicate it clearly to policymakers and the public, he said.
Industry Perspectives
Executives from Alfa Laval and Stegra, both industrial firms, said data and customer demand are key. Anna Celsing, Chief Sustainability Officer at Alfa Laval, said it’s about innovation at the product level and showing progress with data.
“We have to innovate our products and make them in a new way. We have to get the data in place to really show progress prioritized in the right way,” Ms. Celsing said.
Luisa Orre, Chief Development Officer at Stegra, added that bankability is essential. To finance decarbonized steel, she said, Stegra needed to rely on mature technology that works, and they needed customers who wanted low-carbon products.
“In order for it to be bankable, that means that we have to show that there is technology that is mature enough in order to deliver these climate friendly solutions. But the absolute most important stakeholder is customer, and it’s a customer that requires a product that is at a significantly lower carbon dioxide emissions,” Ms. Orre said.
Embedding sustainability across the workforce
The panel also addressed how to engage employees. Ms. Celsing described the challenge of aligning a global workforce around sustainability goals. Ms. Orre said Stegra ties values to direct experiences.
“We do a nature quest, and that means that we spend two days out in nature, connecting our company values to the environment that comes from the ground, the energy that comes from water, hydroelectric and wind power. And this is a reminder, and it’s something that we need to be aware of every single day,” Ms. Orre said.
Mr. Tohme noted that purpose is a powerful motivator. “Employees and families, they don’t really care how much the shareholders are making money” he said. “They need bigger purpose. And that bigger purpose could actually be around sustainability.”
Next steps
Kearney and We Don’t Have Time will expand the survey to include more regions before publishing a full report ahead of the World Economic Forum in Davos. The organizers plan to highlight “lighthouse” CTOs who are embedding sustainability across their operations.
Both organizations see technology as central to climate action, but only if it is aligned with leadership, regulation, and communication. Aligning the stakeholders is the challenge, Mr. Rentzhog said.
“Money talks, that’s the world we live in. So, we really have to find that business case to get those stakeholders on board and have one strategy, one target to strive for,” he said.
See the full conversation:
