SUSTAINABILITY CONSULTING MARKET REPORT OVERVIEW

The global market for sustainability consulting was valued at USD 9 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.2% from 2025 to 2033, reaching USD 15 billion.

Businesses (partnerships, sole proprietorships, and organizations) that offer goods and services to governments and corporations to assist in environmental management comprise the sustainability consulting sector. One aspect of sustainability consulting is providing business and public sector clients with solutions to environmental issues and ways to reduce environmental impact in areas such as soil contamination, waste management, water pollution, and air quality.

Sustainability consulting include waste management, pollution control, ecological restoration, hazardous chemical management, environmental contamination prevention, and security advice. Sustainability consulting is used in processes where human capital is the main input. When an individual or organization is responsible for supplying services to the client, they usually make their employees' skills and knowledge available on an assignment basis.

COVID-19 IMPACT

Delayed Treatments Lead To Lower The Market Demand

The market for sustainability consulting services has been impacted by the pandemic because of lockdowns, travel restrictions, and remote work. Work on-site has drastically dropped. As the demand for services declined, so did revenues. The shortage of funds forced downsizing and other cost-cutting measures, including salary cutbacks and reduced budgets for events. COVID-19, on the other hand, will accelerate the low-carbon transition by a few years, which will lead to an increase in demand for sustainability consulting in the future.

LATEST TRENDS

New Service Models and Technological Advancements to Augment the Market Demand.

Companies in the sustainability consulting industry are always innovating and developing new services and concepts, like managing carbon footprints, conserving cultural heritage, utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS), protecting the marine environment, creating stunning landscapes, and reducing vibration and noise. Additionally, businesses are creating cutting-edge, sector-specific waste management strategies, such as wastewater treatment methods designed for the mining, dairy, chemical, and paper and pulp industries. For example, industrial businesses can recycle treated water and recover metals like lead, copper, chromium, and iron for commercial use thanks to GE's wastewater treatment and metal removal technology. These services are customized to meet the needs of customers, economic sectors, environmental concerns, geographic areas, and evolving regulatory regulations.

The market for sustainable consulting services will benefit from the substantial advancements in technology. These technologies are helping people and businesses reduce their carbon footprint. To reduce its carbon footprint, Microsoft, for instance, announced plans to invest 500 megawatts of renewable energy from Sol Systems in 2020. The company is also working with six other companies to form a coalition for a net-zero carbon economy by 2050. General Motors stated that it will use only renewable energy by 2050 by investing in measures to reduce emissions associated with its thermal load. Big data also plays an important role in the operations of environmental consulting firms. Businesses may now collect and curate environmental data from a variety of government agencies, industry sectors, and non-governmental organizations in an open and transparent manner thanks to big data. It also aids in turning that data into insight and value. Combining digital technology with a wealth of environmental data is expected to bring about revolutionary change to improve sustainability. Because of the quick advancements in technology and the increased awareness of environmental issues, large-scale solar projects are becoming more and more popular among businesses. Sustainability consulting services may make a lot of money by offering guidance on these projects. For example, in September 2021, Australia and India agreed to focus on solar initiatives and develop low emissions technologies.

SUSTAINABILITY CONSULTING MARKET SEGMENTATION

By Type

By type, market is segmented into strategy and planning, technical support, testing, auditing and verification and sustainability marketing. The strategy and planning segment will dominate the market in the coming years.

By Application

Based on applications, the market is classified into chemicals, building & construction, agriculture, food and beverages, mining, oil & gas and others. The chemicals segment will lead the global share through forecast period.

DRIVING FACTORS

Smart City Initiatives Will Lead to Market Growth.

The market for sustainability consulting services is anticipated to benefit from the sharp increase in funding for smart city initiatives in several nations throughout the world. Information and communication technology are used in "smart cities" to effectively manage and run urban services including transportation networks, water supplies, and law and order. Idinvest Partners, a division of the European investment group Eurazeo, completed the first closing of the Smart City Fund II in 2021. Developing countries are also embracing the idea of smart cities more and more. For example, more than 1,000 smart city pilot projects are either ready for implementation or are being built internationally, with 500 of these initiatives located in China. The need for environmental consulting services, such as those related to water and waste management, is anticipated to rise as expenditures in the development of smart cities rise, which will propel market expansion.

More Employment in Businesses to Increase the Market.

Environmental protection is gaining popularity in industries. Environmental consultants are being used by businesses to evaluate the environmental impact of their existing and future projects and to produce reports on them. The increase in sales is one of the key factors that allows companies to use inorganic development strategies, including expansions and acquisitions, to improve their position in the global market. To get the required permission from the appropriate government authorities to establish their plant in new sites, they must create a report that takes into account the land's conditions as well as the effects of the building and the plant on the environment. Consequently, these companies are increasingly using sustainability consultancies for their environmental impact analyses.

RESTRAINING FACTORS

New Technologies in Waste Management and the Environment to Impede the Market.

Many businesses are introducing cutting-edge and affordable trash management technology. The employment of anaerobic bacteria to break down biodegradable material from industrial waste is one example of a technology. Others include the extraction of gas from landfills. Gas that is recovered from landfills is utilized to create steam in manufacturing facilities as well as energy. For instance, Miller's waste processing facility uses landfill refuse to create feedstock, biofuels, and gas for use in manufacturing facilities and agricultural operations. These new technologies aid in lowering the amount of waste produced by manufacturing firms, which reduces the demand for sustainability consulting, which is anticipated to operate as a market restriction.

SUSTAINABILITY CONSULTING MARKET REGIONAL INSIGHTS

The sustainability consulting industry will be dominated by North America in 2020. The occurrence of various catastrophic events in the past sparked a demand for sustainability advice for disaster site remediation plans and cleanups. In order to safeguard the environment, governments have implemented a number of restrictions. Significant sustainability consulting service providers including Tetra Tech, AECOM, and John Wood are well-known internationally as well as in North America. They offer services for trash management, environmental audits, natural resource management, and site rehabilitation. Project management, testing and monitoring, as well as operation and maintenance, are additional services offered by these consultancies. Government organizations also use these consultancies to create up-to-date reports on how various elements affect the environment, which they use to either propose or change current rules. The sustainability consulting market is anticipated to develop at a faster rate in the Rest of APAC nations during the projected period as a result of this aspect.

KEY INDUSTRY PLAYERS

Key Players Focus on Partnerships to Gain a Competitive Advantage

Prominent market players are making collaborative efforts by partnering with other companies to stay ahead in the competition. Many companies are also investing in new product launches to expand their product portfolio. Mergers and acquisitions are also among the key strategies used by players to expand their product portfolio.

List of Top Sustainability Consulting Companies

• McKinsey & Company (U.S.)
• EY (UK.)
• KPMG (Netherlands)
• Bain & Company (U.S.)
• Deloitte (UK.)
• Boston Consulting Group (U.S.)
• PA Consulting Group (Jacobs) (UK.)
• Accenture (Ireland)
• Tata Consultancy Services (Mumbai)
• DuPont Sustainable Solutions (U.S.)

REPORT COVERAGE

The market research study examines the worldwide market in detail, focusing on important elements such as leading players, product/services or type, and leading end-use applications. Aside from that, the research analyses major advancements and provides insights into lighting market trends. In addition to the causes indicated above, the paper includes a number of other factors that have contributed to recent growth.