ESG Global Survey 2025: unwavering commitments… and a rising tide of trailblazer investors

🔬 In 2023, when we published our fourth ESG Global Survey, sustainable finance was rapidly maturing, with institutional investors determined to funnel capital towards sustainable investments. Since then, two years of geopolitical turmoil and growing uncertainty have passed. Where does the industry stand now? Our all-new, fifth Global Survey is here with the answers.

• In 2023, 41% of institutional investors prioritized net zero commitments, with an additional 48% planning to follow suit within two years. Since then, and despite global uncertainty, investors have held firm and remain committed to sustainable investing: 87% report their ESG and sustainability objectives remain unchanged (see graph below), and only 16% expect sustainability's progress to slow between now and 2030.

• Similarly, two years ago, investors were increasingly focusing on specific approaches and thematic investing. 2025 confirms this trajectory, with respondents gradually moving away from generalist ESG investing towards targeted themes that can deliver both returns and impact. In this regard, the energy transition seems to stand out: for 49% of investors, increasing allocations to energy transition assets is the top ESG goal of the next two years (see graph below).

• Beyond decarbonisation and the energy transition, this year’s data reveals another prominent theme: the “S” in “ESG”, namely the social dimension. This shows investors are adopting an increasingly mature and holistic view of sustainability, integrating multi-faceted thematics into their long-term investment strategies. All in all, they seem to display a more integrated understanding of sustainable investment, treating themes not in isolation but as parts of a broader investment strategy.

• The ESG data quality challenge that plagued investors in 2023 persists stubbornly this year: 58% of respondents still identify data as the largest obstacle they face when allocating to ESG investments. Yet their response to this challenge has matured: investors are now leveraging more precise tracking and measurement techniques than ever in order to ensure more reliable information. 54% use and compare multiple sources of data, while 48% use their own research methodologies, such as benchmarks or in-house ESG scores.

• Further evidence of the industry growing maturity? This year, we’ve witnessed the birth of a pioneering group of advanced investors. Of the 420 asset owners, asset managers, and private capital firms we surveyed across 29 countries, 19% stand out as “pacesetters”, a category with a more holistic application of ESG and sustainable investing, who see sustainable investment not just as a risk mitigation tool but as a strategic advantage. Pacesetters tend to place great emphasis on portfolio decarbonisation (95%), social issues (94%), just transition (68%), and biodiversity (86%) in their investment strategy.

• By showing how they address sustainable investment (see graph below), these pacesetters can offer less advanced counterparts a roadmap for embarking on a transition path. This could be particularly valuable at a time when sustainable investment navigates both accelerating momentum and obstacles to its progress.

• In this regard, pacesetters’ approach to knowledge and data can inspire other investors. While a majority of investors use criteria of their own to define a  sustainable investment, pacesetters typically tend to use quantifiable, measurable metrics, such as CO2 emissions reduction. Accordingly, our study of these pacesetters shows that progressing along the ESG maturity spectrum requires investing in greater commitment to impact measurement and data tracking, in addition to adopting multi-faceted strategies and more strategic partnerships.

• Private capital managers, too, emerge as a standout group in this year’s survey, increasingly acting as ESG and sustainability advocates. Their influence is growing fast, with many embedding sustainability at the heart of their strategies and fostering internal engagement.

• The bottom line? ESG and sustainability are here to stay. Many institutional investors have embedded them deeply within their strategies and see them as core parts of their investment mission. One thing is now certain: as we enter a critical period in the fight against climate change, investors are more than willing to play their part in the efforts to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 – and that’s great news!

🚘 Where is mobility headed next? In Hong Kong, our third annual Global Electric Vehicle and Mobility Conference 2025 looked to the future of transportation… and up, towards the skies.

• Mobility is entering a new era of rapid transformation, marked by a surge in electric vehicle sales (EVs), which should account for 25% of all car sales globally this year. In China, the world’s largest auto market, EVs come with a slew of digital services, a way to appeal to local consumers, and especially to younger generations.

• But this is just one facet of the ongoing revolution in mobility, according to the speakers at our Hong Kong event, which brought together industry-leading experts to explore what lies ahead for carmakers. The coming years could witness the rise of autonomous robotaxis, with one panelist even predicting that tens of thousands of them could hit the road in China and the United States by the end of 2026!

• Even more exciting is the prospect of flying cars – though not yet ready for market, they are no longer science fiction, especially in rural areas, where they could prove particularly appropriate.

• Curious to find out more? Head there for the full recap ⤵️

🏘️ Should we still build? And if so, how? In the era of climate emergency and overexploited natural resources, the question, however provocative it may seem, is legitimate…

• … And took center stage at “Habiter Demain” (Inhabiting Tomorrow), a new forward-looking and socially engaged event at the intersection of architecture, ecology, and collective intelligence.

• Launched by BNP Paribas and the French Academy in Rome (Académie de France à Rome - Villa Médicis), this series of meetings brought together artists, philosophers, architects, and economic actors to discuss how to design and build the housing of the future. The short answer? Differently.

• From zero-waste construction to socially inclusive architecture and planning and climate adaptation, dive into the specifics thanks to Sloft ’s recap of the event here.  

🛒 Thanks to a new round of funding from SWEN Capital Partners and BNP Paribas’ Impact Investment team, pioneer zero-waste food distribution startup Le Drive tout nu moves to the next stage of its growth!

• In 2018, Le Drive tout nu was founded with a view to make zero-waste, local, healthy consumption accessible to as many as possible. The concept: to offer customers the option to shop online and then pick up their groceries at a drive-through or drop-off point, to have them delivered, or to go directly to Super tout nu, the brand's first physical supermarket. All products are packaged in reusable containers that customers can return with their next order. Seven years later, le Drive tout nu has opened zero-waste drive-throughs in Toulouse, Bordeaux, and Lille, followed by France's first zero-waste supermarket!

• And now, Le Drive tout nu’s recently completed €7 million round of funding will support the next stage in its national expansion, with a whopping 25 new drive-throughs and supermarkets planned across the country by 2027!

🌳 Will green bonds survive the ongoing “climate backlash”? Our experts says: absolutely.

• From ESG’s unstoppable progress to green bonds’ decarbonisation potential and financial benefits for governments, our BNP Paribas Economic Research department offers three compelling reasons why green bonds are not going away anytime soon. Read on here.