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Organizations are taking supply chain sustainability very seriously this year despite shifts in how topics like environmental, social and governance (ESG) are talked about at the corporate level (especially in the U.S.). Peel back the layers a bit, however, and it’s clear that companies around the globe are still very much committed to waste reduction, resource conservation and minimizing environmental impacts.

In fact, MIT’s new 2026 State of Supply Chain Sustainability Report recorded its highest level of support for sustainability in seven years, with 83% of respondents rating it as important or very important to long-term business success. “When corporate leaders discuss climate strategy, the message that still dominates is that, despite competing priorities and external pressures, sustainability matters,” Mackenzie Berry writes in MIT News.

The report is based on input from 1,810 supply chain professionals in 91 countries. More than half (59%) of them said they’ve become more committed to sustainability following recent U.S. policy shifts that deprioritize environmental concerns. And while commitment to corporate sustainability is strong, many companies still struggle to put their sustainability plans into action.

Sustainability Stays the Course

This year’s study looked at how geopolitics and governance test corporate sustainability; sustainability across the supply chain; AI’s role in sustainability; and freight transportation and warehousing. These topics are especially relevant as companies navigate shifting government policies, use more AI and work to reduce supply chain emissions.

“Following recent U.S. climate-policy shifts, 59% report becoming more committed to sustainability,” MIT says, “while only around 13% report becoming less committed. Yet 68% say tariff uncertainty has forced their organizations to delay, scale back, or compromise sustainability strategies.”

Among the other key findings:

• Geopolitical uncertainty interferes with sustainability plans. Tariff uncertainty has forced 68% of organizations to delay, scale back or compromise their sustainability strategies. More than 80% of respondents across North America, Europe and Asia say geopolitical conflict undermines climate action. 
  
  
• Transportation decarbonization is difficult. Despite widespread adoption of efficiency measures, MIT says 43% of fleets still operate mostly or entirely on diesel. Further emissions reductions require investments in cleaner vehicles and supporting infrastructure.
   
• Warehouse automation produces mixed results. Companies report strong economic returns from automation and robotics, but many AI adopters also report higher electricity consumption and waste. According to the survey, just 24% of warehouses use AI- or sensor-driven systems for real-time emissions monitoring.
   
• Corporate oversight lags. Just over half (51%) of companies with public sustainability goals have formal cross-functional teams, and only 33% have board-level oversight. Among companies with cross-functional teams, 57% frequently or always incorporate sustainability into daily decisions, compared with 13% of companies that assign responsibility to a single department, according to the report.
   
• AI can support sustainability goals. Among adopters, 87% report positive results. Roughly 63% use AI to estimate emissions when supplier data is missing, while only 25% use it for future scenario planning. MIT says nearly one-third of more mature agentic AI users also report perceived increases in overall greenhouse gas emissions (GhGs). 

That last finding is especially interesting at a time when environmental groups and communities are raising concerns about the rapid buildout of data centers and the amount of electricity and water that these facilities require. 

“AI is becoming a real sustainability tool, with 47% of organizations using it while still weighing its environmental footprint and 37% believing that the benefits clearly outweigh the environmental costs,” MIT says in the report. “For now, AI is strongest at making sustainability work more efficient and measurable; its strategic role is still emerging.”