Corporate sustainability at a crossroads

We are thrilled to share the findings of the 2026 KPMG Belgium & Luxembourg CSO Survey, based on in‑depth interviews with more than 100 Chief Sustainability Officers (CSO) and senior sustainability leaders across Belgium and Luxembourg. The study provides a comprehensive view of how sustainability is evolving within organizations at a time of regulatory volatility and economic uncertainty.

The survey explores how sustainability is being repositioned, operationalized, and increasingly embedded into core business activities. It sheds light on how CSOs are navigating growing expectations, sharpening priorities, and translating sustainability ambition into credible execution aligned with business objectives.

The analysis is structured around KPMG’s High Performance Sustainability Organization model, which examines sustainability maturity across five interconnected dimensions: vision and strategy, implementation activities, organization, enabling resources, and culture. Together, these dimensions offer a robust framework to assess how organizations define sustainability priorities, move from ambition to action, organize for delivery, and mobilize the capabilities required to create lasting impact.

Below, we highlight the key takeaways from our 2026 CSO Survey event which took place on Thursday, 21 May at our offices in Zaventem.

Michael Wagemans

Partner, Head of Sustainability | Advisory

KPMG in Belgium

mail
call

Survey highlights

Sustainability remains a long‑term priority for organizations, but is increasingly scrutinized for its ability to deliver tangible business value. Insights from the CSO Survey show that sustainability is moving closer to the core of business decision‑making, with financial relevance and double materiality driving sharper prioritization. However, while ambition is widespread, execution remains the key differentiator, particularly on complex topics such as climate transition planning and Scope 3 emissions. Operating models are evolving toward more distributed ownership, requiring stronger integration with business functions and clearer accountability. Overall, sustainability is no longer challenged on why it matters, but on how effectively it is executed.

Key takeaways

Refocus sustainability on what truly matters and make it a growth lever

Sustainability is increasingly anchored in financial relevance and business value creation. Organizations are using double materiality to sharpen priorities and focus on sustainability actions that support resilience, risk management, efficiency, and growth. While many companies still approach sustainability through a compliance lens, a more advanced group is actively translating sustainability into growth opportunities by building financial business cases and rethinking products, value propositions, and value chains.
Shift from ambition to action

§ Execution has emerged as the clear differentiator between leaders and laggards. Although most organizations have defined ambitions, material topics, and governance structures, far fewer have translated these into concrete, sequenced implementation roadmaps with clear ownership and delivery discipline. Climate ambition highlights this gap most clearly: despite widespread commitments, only a limited number of organizations have credible and comprehensive transition plans in place, particularly for complex areas such as Scope 3 and supply chains. ESG reporting, while often perceived as demanding, plays a key enabling role by strengthening governance, data quality, executive oversight, and strategic prioritization.
Embed sustainability directly in the business

Operating models are evolving as sustainability moves closer to core business activities. Centrally driven sustainability functions are increasingly complemented by distributed ownership across business units, supported by lean central teams. Effective embedding goes beyond formal KPIs and requires aligned narratives, intrinsic motivation, and clear accountability in day‑to‑day decision‑making. This shift also increases the importance of upskilling: sustainability teams must strengthen business acumen, while business leaders and functions build sustainability literacy. In this context, the CSO role is evolving from topic owner to integrator, challenger, and orchestrator, supported by strong top‑management alignment.
Connect resources to business value and keep momentum

Technology and AI are widely recognized as important enablers of sustainability in business. Sustainability leaders increasingly position “technology for good” as a way to enhance both sustainability outcomes and operational performance, with current applications mainly focused on ESG reporting, supplier assessments, and efficiency improvements. However, genuinely transformative uses of AI remain limited, and most organizations continue to rely on hybrid approaches that combine automation with human judgment. This cautious adoption reflects a broader reality: technology alone does not create impact. Value is created when digital investments are clearly linked to concrete business use cases, supported by strong data foundations, and effectively embedded and adopted across the organization.