Global intent, local reality: How sustainability priorities vary across regions

Mid‑market leaders across the globe are investing in sustainability, but not in the same way – or for the same reasons.

North and South America see a route to competitive advantage and capital, with North America leading globally in exit‑readiness confidence (39.7%) and South America placing the strongest emphasis on renewable energy (54.1%); Europe is turning regulation into efficiency, reflected in 39.5% of firms prioritising cost reduction. Asia‑Pacific ties ESG to innovation and digitalisation, with 37.0% focusing on digitalisation for efficiency, while Africa backs foundational energy and water to unlock growth, underscored by investing in clean water as a priority for 28.4% of firms.

In short, sustainability isn’t a universal language – at least not yet. Despite being a global ambition, sustainability is still largely shaped by local realities. Drawing on our 2025 report, ‘Scaling sustainability: How the mid‑market is future‑proofing growth’, this article maps those regional priorities and the commercial opportunities they create. 

Investment intentions: A global push, with regional nuance

Across the board, mid-market firms are showing strong intent to maintain or increase sustainability investment, signalling how sustainability will shape competitiveness and capital flows across regions. North America (90.1%) and South America (94.0%) are leading the way, reflecting a growing recognition of sustainability as a driver of competitive advantage and stakeholder trust. Sustainability is emerging as a key differentiator in these regions and companies that continue to invest could gain a strong advantage in attracting more deals or new capital.  

Africa (75.4%) and Asia-Pacific (83.4%) both show a significant commitment to investment, while continuing to balance their sustainability ambitions with other priorities such as infrastructure, digitalisation and economic resilience. This clear desire to grow sustainability shows how important it is to these regions, acting as a key method of economic transformation and attracting investment.  

Europe (82.8%) reflects a more mature regulatory environment, with many European mid-market firms already subject to stringent ESG requirements. The focus, however, may be shifting from ramping up investment to optimising and embedding existing initiatives as those requirements appear to be easing slightly – as seen through the European Commission’s 2025 Omnibus package. Companies that treat compliance as a strategic lever can reduce costs and potentially unlock financing advantages.  

These investment signals not only reveal ambition but also shape the strategic priorities emerging across regions.  

Strategic focus: Different priorities, shared themes

While renewable energy is the leading investment priority across regions, other sustainability focus areas vary based on local market conditions and societal expectations.  

• South America emphasises renewable energy (54.1%), waste reduction (39.3%) and recycled content (33.9%), aligning with abundant natural resources and pressure to curb environmental degradation.  
• North America balances environmental and social priorities: renewable energy (45.7%), diversity and inclusion (42.1%), waste reduction (40.9%) and new sustainable products (40.8%), viewing sustainability as both a moral imperative through a commitment to DE&I, but also a market opportunity as businesses develop new products.  
• Asia-Pacific connects sustainability to transformation – renewable energy (37.5%), digitalisation for efficiency (37.0%), diversity and inclusion (35.5%) and new products (35.2%) – linking ESG to innovation and competitiveness.  
• Africa focuses on foundations: renewable energy (48.5%), waste management (33.0%) and clean water (28.4%), addressing infrastructure gaps and long-term economic development.  
• Europe reflects regulatory maturity: renewable energy (48.1%), digitalisation (31.7%) and carbon reduction (31.5%), aligning with EU climate policy and a focus on optimisation.  

These differing priorities shape both cross-border opportunities and market expectations. For example, a mid-market tech firm in Asia-Pacific gains an advantage by proving progress through auditable data and digital performance; a manufacturer in South America protects revenue and licence to operate by accelerating circular practices; exporters to Europe win on efficiency and compliance-readiness; growth-minded mid-market firms in North America convert sustainability into pricing power, investor confidence and exit options; and companies engaging Africa unlock productivity and risk reduction by backing foundational energy and water solutions.   

Understanding these nuances helps businesses align strategies with local demand and global standards, enabling faster movement, derisking expansion efforts and converting sustainability into a durable, profitable growth agent across borders. Together, these priorities shape how and where firms expect to create value  – with each region prioritising quite individual commercial goals in order to achieve this.  

Commercial goals: From compliance to competitive advantage

The commercial case for sustainability is converging on the value it can deliver for their business, whether through increasing exports or reducing costs, but the form that value takes tends to differ by region. Considerations such as regulatory maturity, market pressure and capital expectations all drive these differing commercial goals from region to region.  

In North America, leaders treat sustainability as a growth and value lever, with strong confidence in short and long-term upside, including in exports (47.8%) and exit readiness (39.7%). Asia-Pacific links sustainability to innovation and market access, with firms emphasising transformation and supplier readiness, underpinned by above-average expectations that sustainability can lift exports (43.6%).   

In Europe, the mature regulatory environment shifts attention from pledges to performance; mid-market companies convert compliance into efficiency and cheaper capital, with cost reduction standing out (39.5%). South America balances short-term caution with long-term conviction – prioritising renewables and circularity to build resilience through a belief that sustainability can help reduce costs (48.7%) – while Africa adopts a pragmatic path where commercial gains grow as foundational enablers expand access to capital and markets, with a strong belief (53.0%) that this investment can yield long-term profitability. 

For companies looking to grow, these commercial goals should serve as a blueprint for investment. Where leaders see gains in exports (notably in North America and Asia-Pacific), the short-term value lies in access to more markets and more customers. Invest in verifiable product data and supplier traceability to meet ever-increasing ESG expectations for global buyers and to lift win rates in cross-border sales.   

Where executives emphasise exit readiness (North America), the lever is valuation: use sustainability to reduce diligence friction by leaning into international reporting standards – cleaner disclosures, lower energy exposure and credible roadmaps – so quality of earnings and multiples improve.   

In markets where cost reduction leads (Europe and South America), look to maximise margin: prioritise energy efficiency, waste reduction and process digitalisation to bank savings now and unlock cheaper financing.   

And where sentiment is more cautious, as seen in parts of Africa, the path to value is resilience and investor appeal. Back foundational energy and water solutions and strengthen data readiness so operations derisk and become more transparent, and capital can become more readily available.  

Value is available everywhere but unlocked differently. The most successful mid-market firms tailor their playbooks to local realities while keeping a global standard for data, disclosures and execution. 

A singular goal, with multiple paths   

Emerging from the data is a very clear message: while the global ambition around scaling sustainability is shared, the paths to achieving it are deeply local.   

Each region brings its own context – shaped by regulation, infrastructure, culture and market maturity. For some, sustainability is a clear route to innovation and growth. For others, it’s more about resilience, inclusion or efficiency. For many, it’s a combination of all these factors and more.  

Success depends on tailoring sustainability strategies to regional realities – aligning ambition with context to unlock long-term value. For mid-market businesses, this means moving beyond a one-size-fits-all approach and embracing the diversity of sustainability journeys worldwide. Mid-market leaders who act now, tailoring strategy to regional realities, will move faster, reduce risk and secure their position in increasingly selective global markets.  

For deeper insights into the mid-market’s sustainability journey and a look at five key recommendations on how to take advantage of the benefits of sustainability, read our report, 'Scaling sustainability: How the mid-market is future-proofing growth' today.   

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