Another fall in the number of firms investing in sustainability

© CBS
  • For the second consecutive year, the number of firms investing in sustainability has fallen. 
  • Financial constraints remain the main obstacle, say entrepreneurs. 
  • At the same time, more firms see problems with the electricity grid as the main obstacle.

More than 61 percent of companies say they are investing in climate-neutrality in 2026. The share last year was slightly higher at 64 percent, and in 2024 it was 68 percent. This is reported by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) on the basis of the Netherlands Business Survey, carried out among firms with five or more employees in the manufacturing, automotive, retail and services sectors.

Fewer firms than last year are working to improve their sustainability

In most sectors, fewer companies say they are investing in sustainability in 2026 than said this in 2025. However, in the car trade and repair sector and the other services sector, more firms are investing in sustainability this year, while in the information and communication sector and the retail sector, investment has remained fairly stable. The proportion of companies investing in sustainability remains the highest in the real estate activities sector and the transportation and storage sector.

Decline particularly evident among SMEs

Small firms (5-49 employees) and medium-sized firms (50-249 employees) in particular are less likely to be investing in climate-neutrality this year than they were in 2025. Larger firms (with 250 or more employees) are the most likely to report that they are investing.

The specific areas in which firms are investing to improve their sustainability vary from sector to sector. For example, most manufacturing firms are focusing on energy efficiency and circular production. Transportation companies are most likely to be investing in reducing their emissions.

Positive investment outlook

In June, among firms that are investing in sustainability, more expected an increase in investment than expected a decrease. The difference, at almost 6 percent, was virtually the same as it was in 2025. Firms in the transportation and storage sector and retail sector are the most likely to say they expect their investment in sustainability to increase. The decline compared with last year has been the sharpest in the real estate activities sector and manufacturing sector.

Financial constraints are the main obstacle

In this year’s survey, around two-thirds of firms reported facing obstacles in making progress on climate-neutrality. This was slightly more likely to be the case among large firms than among small and medium-sized ones. Just as in 2025, the main obstacles are the high cost of sustainable alternatives and uncertainty regarding the economy and/or policy. Both of these factors were identified as obstcles more frequently this year than last year, in addition to constraints in the electricity grid.

More firms mentioning constraints in the network and energy grid

Network constraints were cited more frequently in 2026 than in 2025, across all sectors except for ‘other services’. Particularly for firms in the retail sector, the real estate activities sector, and the transportation and storage sector, the network and energy grid is a major obstacle. The share of firms that said this was their main obstacle rose most sharply in the information and communication sector and in the car trade and repair sector.