Capgemini: Businesses Increase Climate Adaptation Spending

Paris | September 16, 2026: Businesses are increasing their focus on climate adaptation and resilience as climate disruption, water stress, resource constraints and geopolitical volatility put pressure on operations and supply chains, according to the fifth edition of the Capgemini Research Institute’s A World in Balance: The resilience reset report.

The report found that 68% of executives say their organizations actively prioritize climate adaptation, up from 56% in 2025. Nearly nine in 10 organizations reported that climate-related events have disrupted their supply chains.

Access to critical resources is also becoming a stronger factor in sustainability decisions. More than seven in 10 organizations said securing resources such as energy, water and materials now has greater influence on sustainability decision-making than emissions-reduction targets. Meanwhile, 61% of executives expect water scarcity to become a greater constraint on business growth than energy availability over the next five years.

Despite rising attention to climate risks, financial assessment remains limited. Only 15% of organizations have fully quantified the financial impact of climate-related disruptions, while just over one in four executives said their organizations have assessed climate risks across their extended value chains or deployed climate-risk analytics tools.

“Climate change disruptions have become our new normal, and yet there is still a wide gap between business leaders’ awareness of the risks and actual implementation. In order to protect their supply chains, operations, infrastructure, and access to essential energy, water, and materials, they can no longer defer climate action,” said Cyril Garcia, Global head of Sustainability services and Corporate Responsibility, and Member of the Group Executive Board at Capgemini. “It is encouraging to see organizations prioritize adaptation and resilience for sustainable growth. But as climate and political risks evolve, organizations must continue to embed sustainability into their core business strategy and day-to-day operations.”

Sustainability investments are also reporting financial benefits. Nearly seven in 10 organizations said their sustainability initiatives generated a net-positive return on investment. Sixty-four percent of executives said sustainability investments boosted sales, compared with 47% in 2025, while 74% said sustainable practices improved brand equity.

However, progress towards net zero targets remains uneven. While 84% of organizations reported having science-based targets, only 42% said they are on track to meet their 2030 or interim targets. The share of organizations falling behind on net zero goals rose to 11% in 2026 from 1% in 2025, while 29% reported postponing their net zero objectives, compared with 8% last year.

AI is increasingly being used in sustainability initiatives, with nearly two-thirds of organizations reporting its use. More than a third use or plan to use agentic AI for sustainability. At the same time, measurement remains limited, with just over a third of executives saying their organizations measure the energy consumption and carbon footprint of AI systems and workloads.