U.S. Firms Adapt to Shifting Sustainability Requirements

Companies seek flexible controls to comply with mixed mandates and achieve demonstrable business results, ISG Provider Lens® report says

STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- U.S. enterprises are increasingly adopting digital sustainability solutions that lower energy costs, improve asset performance or protect market access as a fragmented regulatory landscape and rising AI demand reshape investment priorities, 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 2026 ISG Provider Lens® Digital Sustainability report for the U.S. finds that the federal retreat from climate disclosure and clean energy support in 2025 has reduced national regulatory momentum, but state and international rules still apply to many large U.S. businesses. The resulting regulatory environment varies by location, sector and global exposure, forcing enterprises to carefully craft strategies for compliance and competitiveness.

“Digital sustainability in the U.S. continues to progress when it addresses the same pressures facing operations: high energy costs, constrained capacity and fragile supply chains,” said Kathy Rudy, partner, ISG Data, Analytics and Technology Office. “Companies are concentrating investments where environmental progress also strengthens reliability, resilience and market access.”

Multi-state and multinational companies are rationalizing obligations into common control models that support California, federal, European Union and product-level requirements. This approach reduces the need for separate systems tailored to different regulatory regimes. It also helps organizations adapt as disclosure and product rules evolve. Buyers want transparent methodologies and measurable savings, with shared ownership of sustainability programs across finance, operations, procurement, engineering, IT and risk teams.

Enterprises in asset-intensive industries are expanding their use of AI, IoT and digital twins to improve energy use, maintenance and reliability. Some use these tools to optimize asset performance while balancing concerns over energy supply, consumer prices and biodiversity. Manufacturing, retail and consumer goods companies are implementing resource efficiency and traceability measures to address supply-chain disruptions.

As growing use of AI raises energy consumption concerns, CIOs and CTOs are improving AI efficiency through GreenOps methodologies, workload placement and model and data optimization. Data-center power, cooling and architecture choices can lower infrastructure costs and environmental effects. Organizations are seeking better use of existing compute capacity amid grid interconnection delays, transmission limits and local resistance to data-center construction. To sustainably expand AI, companies need investment governance that evaluates the energy, carbon, resilience and financial effects of new investments before committing capital, ISG says.

“Organizations need flexible sustainability plans that also serve immediate operating priorities,” said Matt Warburton, ISG principal consultant and digital sustainability lead, and lead author of the report. “Providers offer solutions that deliver financial and environmental outcomes, in addition to efficient regulatory compliance.”

The report also explores other digital sustainability trends in the U.S., including the growing use of product lifecycle assessments and digital product passports to manage packaging, carbon-border and battery requirements.

For more insights into the digital sustainability challenges faced by enterprises in the U.S., along with ISG’s advice for addressing them, see the ISG Provider Lens Focal Points briefing here.

The report evaluates 66 unique providers across three quadrants: Strategy and Enablement Services, Asset, Product & Value Chain Solutions and IT Solutions.

The report names Accenture, Capgemini, Cognizant, HCLTech, IBM, Infosys, TCS and Wipro as Leaders in three quadrants each. It names Deloitte, NTT DATA and PwC as Leaders in two quadrants each. BCG, ERM, EY, Hitachi Digital Services, Kyndryl, Lenovo, LTTS, McKinsey & Company and Schneider Electric are Leaders in one quadrant each.

In addition, Anthesis, Atos, NTT DATA and Siemens are recognized as Rising Stars — companies with a “promising portfolio” and “high future potential” by ISG’s definition — in one quadrant each.

In the area of customer experience, Atos is named the global ISG CX Star Performer for 2026 among digital sustainability service providers. Atos earned the highest customer satisfaction scores in ISG's Voice of the Customer survey, part of the ISG Star of Excellence™ program, the premier quality recognition for the technology and business services industry.

The 2026 ISG Provider Lens Digital Sustainability report for the U.S. is available to subscribers or for one-time purchase on 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 and research, in-depth knowledge and governance of provider ecosystems, and the expertise of its 1,500 professionals worldwide working together to help clients maximize the value of their technology investments.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261016654355/en/

Press Contacts:

Laura Hupprich, ISG
+1 203-517-3132
[email protected]

Erik Arvidson, Matter Communications for ISG
+1 978-518-4542
[email protected]

Source: Information Services Group, Inc.

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