Lakshmi Woodings on sustainability direction in 2026
Companies are moving from talk to tangible action, embedding CSR into operations, focusing on community engagement, and demanding leadership accountability. While the sustainability agenda shifted in 2025, ongoing groundwork is laying the foundation for future growth. AI and technology will drive smarter sustainability efforts, with ethical governance and transparency coming to the fore in 2026.
Shifting priorities in the year ahead
There has been a shift from gestures to actual impact and a requirement that companies have proof points to show what they are doing and, fundamentally, how they are doing it. We have focused on fully embracing a net zero strategy, working on plans to reduce and remove our emissions, and beginning programmes that will provide data on how we are progressing, in short, embedding our CSR strategy into business operations so that it’s part of the DNA of the business rather than sitting as a separate line item.
Engagement and accountability on the rise
Community engagement is really coming to the forefront and not just in terms of standard monetary donations to charities but in how companies engage with those charities and build long-term partnerships. We’re seeing real potential to positively impact the industry by supporting beneficiaries of these charities to enter into financial services by offering mentoring and training; this is something we’ll be focusing on in 2026. There’s a real focus on senior management accountability with CSR topics as this generation of employees want to see their leaders taking charge and driving CSR activities in 2026. It will be key to be able to demonstrate how CSR has a positive impact on the running of businesses i.e. in terms of client and employee retention and on the bottom line.
Keeping the spotlight on sustainability
In 2025 we witnessed a dramatic shift away from businesses thinking about corporate sustainability and EED&I and this will continue to be a challenge in 2026. It’s key that we keep going, building deeper foundations and doing the groundwork now so that when the cycle comes back around, we will be in a better place to drive forward our ambitions.
How AI and technology advances will impact sustainability efforts in 2026
We’re going to be using AI to advance our sustainability ambitions. A key piece of this is through our SMART office programme which will assess our facilities footprint and help us to make efficiencies and improvements to contribute to our net zero target. Using tools like this will ramp up our waste reduction programmes and push our sustainability strategy further.
