Outcome‑based pricing links a portion of provider fees to clearly defined measurable results rather than effort or time spent. For IT sustainability services, those outcomes are typically financial (cost reduction, efficiency gains) or environmental (carbon reduction, energy savings, audit‑ready compliance outputs). Unlike time‑and‑materials or fixed‑fee models, this approach shifts delivery risk to the provider and […]

As AI data center construction booms, sustainability questions are essential in cloud and colocation RFPs because they reveal whether a provider is truly efficient in power, cooling, water, and infrastructure use. These questions help buyers surface risks early, including grid constraints, water stress, air emissions, regulatory pressure, and weak transparency and/or governance. Further, community impact questions ensure a provider can scale without stressing local constraints. Sustainability leaders can use this template to augment existing data center assessments to make them more evidence based for energy, sustainability, and community impact metrics.

Long‑term net-zero commitments, typically framed as emissions reductions aligned with a 2050 timeframe, were a fad across global companies in the past decade. It was the de facto way to signal virtue to both customers and investors. Recently, however, the signals have become more mixed. Some organizations have scaled back or stopped emphasizing these targets, […]

Year after year, external forces, such as geopolitical instability, destructive weather, economic volatility, and rapid technology shifts, rewrite the risk-reward equation. What many organizations once saw as “improbable” events now generate seismic, systemic shocks that ripple across markets and industries. Those that fail to prepare struggle to stay resilient and relevant, and they face significant consequences when these events inevitably hit. Risk professionals should use this report to gain a better understanding of systemic risks, their impact on the business, and how to mitigate them.

Forrester’s top 10 emerging technologies for 2026 describe broad categories. The 10 additional emerging technologies described in this report drill into many of our top 10, providing more specific capabilities emerging in tools and platforms. They span AI-infused experiences, such as AI browsers and personal AI devices, and physical automation through aerial drones, humanoid robots, and world models. Finally, quantum security and battery energy storage systems help shore up infrastructure stress points in the security and energy domains. This report explains what each technology is, where it connects to our top 10, and what business value it offers.

Generative AI plays a Jekyll and Hyde role in sustainability, with significant benefits and risks. GenAI accelerates sustainability progress by improving circular economy practices, strengthening climate-risk modeling, and optimizing IT efficiency. Early deployments show clear benefits in carbon accounting, sustainability reporting, and real-time operational insights. However, sustainability and risk leaders must push for responsible adoption, which requires governance, transparency, and human oversight to ensure credible outcomes and avoid issues such as rapidly growing energy and water demands and the intensifying impact that data centers have on communities.

Sustainability budgets face growing pressure from short-term priorities, especially as budget is rerouted to AI-driven business opportunities. To ensure sustainability budgets remain viable for the long term, it is critical to link initiatives to financial metrics and demonstrate clear ROI. In this report, we leverage Forrester’s Total Economic Impact™ (TEI) model as a framework to illustrate the business value of sustainability, including the business benefits, costs, risks, and future business flexibility of sustainability investments. Sustainability leaders should use this report to confidently build a business case for sustainability initiatives independent of industry or maturity level.

Sustainability and risk leaders use climate risk analytics software to aid risk mitigation and financial resilience, improve regulatory compliance to avoid penalties, and identify new opportunities or competitive advantages. As part of the research for “The Forrester Wave™: Climate Risk Analytics Software, Q2 2025,” we collected data from reference customers about their top priorities and adoption trends. Sustainability and risk leaders should use this report to inform best practices when selecting a climate risk analytics software vendor or as a benchmark for their current vendor.

You can use sustainability management software to create flexible report outputs with auditable data, identify the most impactful value chain performance improvements, and tie financial benefits to sustainability actions. But to realize these benefits, you’ll first have to select from a diverse set of vendors that vary by size, type of offering, geography, and use case differentiation. Sustainability leaders should use this report to understand the value they can expect from a sustainability management software vendor, learn how vendors differ, and investigate options based on size and market focus.

The rapid expansion of AI-driven data centers transforms what once seemed like invisible, back-end digital infrastructure into a highly visible, very localized challenge. According to Forrester’s US Tech Market Forecast, 2025 To 2030, AI could add 1.3 to 1.7 gigatons of carbon emissions annually, equivalent to 2–3% of global emissions. Additionally, global data center demand […]