How insight can put climate action at the heart of growth
Despite the undeniably urgent need for businesses to act on the climate crisis, many still choose to view sustainability as a matter of compliance rather than an engine for growth and innovation. Yet our work with board directors across the world suggests a different story: 86% say climate represents opportunity and innovation for business, and 89% want to see new forms of thinking and leadership from the boardroom, the executive and the workforce.
This is where the power of insights has a catalytic role to play, building the business case for sustainability initiatives that both deliver growth and innovation opportunities and strengthen the organisation’s sustainability credentials.
The importance of data and measurement in sustainability-led growth
Insight agencies and specialised insight functions within large corporations hold the key to unlocking the true commercial potential of sustainable business practices. By providing data-driven insights into consumer attitudes and behaviours, and changing societal and market trends, these teams can empower decision-makers to see sustainability not as a tick-box exercise, but as a strategic advantage.
We’ve seen firsthand how data can reshape the conversation around sustainability. This is evident in the rise, fall, and rise again of the most eco-conscious cohort of consumers and growing demand for more sustainable products and services. For instance, Kantar’s consumer behaviour research tells us that consumers are increasingly willing to reward brands that prioritise sustainability, creating a business incentive for brands to adapt business models.
However, simply acknowledging this shift is not enough. Short-term thinking and insufficient sustainability knowledge and expertise were identified in a recent Climate Governance Initiative study of non-executive directors as some of the key barriers to progress in achieving net-zero goals. This suggests that businesses desperately need evidence-based strategies that capitalise on marketplace demand signals, along with actionable insights which will allow them to close the consumer value-action gap.
Sustainability insights deliver results beyond compliance
The power of insights teams lies in their ability to bridge the gap between ESG aspirations and concrete outcomes in the marketplace: supplying the evidence for companies to shift their mindset from simply reporting on sustainability, to pro-actively taking control of their business growth journey.
Accurate and actionable data enables businesses to provide confidence to stakeholders, attract capital, drive competitive advantage and draw consumers who are actively researching the sustainability impact of the brands they engage with.
By leveraging data and robust measurement frameworks, insight agencies and internal insights functions can help businesses:
- Unlock new growth opportunities: Identify emerging consumer trends and market opportunities related to sustainability, enabling businesses to develop innovative products and services – and even new business models – that meet disruptive consumer demands
- Enhance brand reputation: Demonstrate a genuine commitment to sustainability through data-backed initiatives, building trust and loyalty among environmentally and socially conscious consumers
- Optimise product design and innovation: Actionable insights enable brands to optimise product design and composition of product and packaging materials, ensuring new products meet consumers’ multifaceted needs.
Powering a new era of circular marketing
Insights teams can also enable circular marketing and new models of growth. Last year, Kantar and the World Federation of Advertisers launched the Sustainable Marketing 2030 initiative, which explores how the marketing function can be part of the solution to a sustainable future. It asserts that the key to sustainable marketing lies in advocating for and adopting circular principles in every aspect of the discipline.
Based on the findings of a study of senior marketers, the circular marketing and growth framework is designed to reimagine marketing’s role within the business and in society, to help make marketing part of the solution.
According to the study, the biggest opportunities that marketers have to propel the sustainable transformation are through innovating to create competitive advantage, educating consumers about their choices and normalising sustainable behaviours, driving transformative partnerships to deliver change at scale, and to expand marketing’s understanding of and role in the value chain.
Sustainability-led growth is the way to a sustainable future
In an era defined by both unprecedented environmental and social challenges and shifting consumer expectations, embracing the power of insights is no longer optional – it is essential. By harnessing the power of data, we can move beyond simply acknowledging the importance of sustainability and towards concrete actions that drive meaningful change.
The future of business is inextricably linked to the future of our planet, and insights will be the compass guiding us towards a more sustainable and prosperous tomorrow.
By Jonathan Hall, managing partner, sustainable transformation practice at Kantar

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