Sustainable trends-a useful mirror of the future
Despite the new legislative change proposals launched in 2025, sustainability is a fundamental pillar of technological development, significantly impacting various industries. Considering the latest sustainability trends, we can anticipate how to focus our strategy to strengthen the company’s position in the market. This article addresses some technology trends that we believe will start to take off in 2025 but will add value from a long-term perspective.
TREND 1. Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into sustainability solutions. This has become a key trend, providing innovative tools for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Companies such as OpenAI and DeepMind are investing heavily in the development of AGI, anticipating the first practical applications by 2025.
AI significantly contributes to more precise and traceable data management for identifying suitable measures for reducing environmental impact and promoting a circular economy. Various AI-based tools have been developed to support sustainability initiatives:
- AI solutions analyze the energy consumption of buildings and industrial processes, identifying opportunities to save and optimize resources.
- AI systems monitor and optimize recycling processes, helping to reduce waste and promote the circular economy.
- AI technologies analyze soil and crop conditions, enabling precise application of resources and reducing the use of pesticides and fertilizers.
By 2025, artificial intelligence is expected to become a crucial tool in corporate strategy, with widespread applications in various sectors such as supply chain optimization, sustainability standardization, and climate change.
TREND 2. Adopting a circular economy business model. The circular economy is a strategic orientation in the field of sustainability with a significant impact on business strategies and the environment. This economic model promotes reuse, recycling, and waste reduction, contributing to the conservation of natural resources and pollution reduction. Implementing a circular economy brings multiple advantages, including:
- By recycling materials and reducing resource consumption, we contribute to reducing polluting emissions.
- Reusing and recycling materials reduces the need to extract new resources, protecting the environment.
- Circular business models can stimulate innovation and open up new markets and jobs.
Several companies have adopted circular business models, demonstrating their viability, for example IKEA has introduced circular economy initiatives through its repair and recycling program, encouraging customers to return old furniture to be refurbished and resold.
The circular economy is an essential strategic direction for companies that want to contribute to a sustainable future while offering significant economic opportunities.
“Sustainability is no longer about doing less harm. It’s about doing more good.”
— Jochen Zeitz
TREND 3. Digital risk management platforms. Using digitalization for sustainability and business risk identification and assessment has become essential. Such digital tools help companies promote sustainability, providing them with advanced tools to identify, assess, and manage environmental, social, and governance risks. These platforms facilitate the integration of ESG principles into business processes, contributing to sustainable development and compliance with international regulations. We can highlight some key traits of digital ESG platforms for sustainability:
- Analytics: Companies can anticipate and proactively manage ESG risks using artificial intelligence and predictive analytics tools.
- ESG Reporting: Simplifying and accelerating the ESG reporting process by automating data collection and analysis can be helpful for the internal company team. These platforms mitigate resource involvement in the reporting process and secure data throughout time.
- Versatility: Developing flexible platforms adaptable to the specific needs of different industries and companies. Digital tools can be very versatile, combining multiple needs of the company. They can use aggregation and evaluation of data with key business results for a better understanding for the management.
- Digital tools can facilitate collaboration between companies, investors, and other stakeholders by transparently sharing ESG data.
Adopting these platforms allows companies to improve ESG performance, reduce risks and capitalize on opportunities associated with sustainability, thus contributing to the development of a more sustainable and responsible economy.
TREND 4 – Climate resilience is a fundamental direction in the field of sustainability technologies, aiming to adapt and protect communities and infrastructures from the effects of climate change. This approach integrates innovative solutions to reduce vulnerabilities and increase the ability to respond to extreme climate events. We will highlight some emerging technologies for climate resilience:
- Using sensors and digital platforms to collect and analyze real-time climate data, facilitating accurate forecasts and rapid interventions.
- Implementing ecological solutions, such as urban forests and wetlands, that contribute to carbon absorption and protect against floods.
- Developing innovative materials and structures that withstand extreme climate conditions, reducing risks to buildings and infrastructure.
- Implementing technologies for collecting and reusing rainwater, reducing the risks of drought and flooding.
Adopting these technologies allows communities and organizations to develop effective climate change adaptation strategies, protecting ecosystems and ensuring a sustainable future.
TREND 5 – The ESG strategic integration. An Accenture study found that only 7% of companies have fully integrated their business, technology, and sustainability strategies.
Integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria is a crucial development in technological sustainability. Companies increasingly recognize the importance of aligning their business strategies with ESG principles to ensure sustainable growth and meet stakeholder expectations. To improve this integration, organizations are encouraged to develop sustainability action plans, which include:
- Identifying areas for improvement in terms of environmental and social impact.
- Defining clear and measurable targets to assess progress in implementing ESG principles.
- Using key performance indicators to track and report on progress.
- Launch innovative project to start the transformation to a more sustainable business model
Strategic integration of ESG principles is becoming vital for companies that want to remain competitive and responsible and contribute to a more sustainable and equitable global economy.
In 2025, sustainability continues to be a key driver of technological innovation, influencing business strategies and regulations globally. Emerging trends such as artificial intelligence applied to ESG, digital platforms for risk management, circular economy adoption, and climate resilience solutions reflect an accelerated transition to responsible and efficient practices.
Contact us to discuss concrete approaches for different approaches to tackling the above-mentioned subjects.
