Market Size And Forecast Data Reveal A Growing Sustainability Consulting Market

The global sustainability consulting market is set to expand from $12.37 billion in 2024 to nearly $30 billion in 2030, with a CAGR of approximately 16% (see Verdantix Market Size And Forecast: Sustainability Consulting 2024–2030 (Global)). Following methodological refinements, definitional adjustments and the effects of regulatory uncertainty, our 2024 market size is approximately 70% of our original estimate in the 2023 report. However, the continued rise in corporate sustainability investments is a clear positive signal for the sector.

Our 2025 global corporate survey for ESG and sustainability reinforces this optimism: more than 90% of respondents expect to maintain or increase spending on sustainability consulting services, underscoring a resilient and expanding market, despite broader macroeconomic and regulatory uncertainty.

The model revealed a few notable things:

• Regional outlook: Asia is expected to experience the fastest growth between 2024 and 2030, with a CAGR of 20%, driven by significant regulatory momentum in key markets such as China, India and Japan. Europe and North America will remain the largest overall spenders, with accelerated growth anticipated between 2028 and 2030, as regulatory clarity improves in Europe and potential policy shifts emerge in the US.
• Industry investment patterns: manufacturing and financial services led sustainability consulting spend in 2024, reflecting their operational complexity and extensive value chains. Alongside wholesale and retail trade, these industries are expected to maintain the largest market shares to 2030.

• Service line trends: though consulting spend in 2024 was divided almost equally between three service lines – corporate strategy, data management and operational transformation – operational transformation is projected to see the most consistent growth, as firms increasingly invest in embedding sustainability into core operations to enhance energy efficiency, resource management and supply chain resilience.

The allocation of sustainability consulting spend is shifting. Many firms are moving from broad, process-heavy sustainability programmes to more targeted, outcome-driven engagements that deliver measurable business value such as cost savings, operational efficiency and risk reduction. This trend reflects a maturing market focused on practical results and strategic impact.

Though regulatory progress may appear uneven – particularly with the Omnibus proposal in Europe and federal-level pullbacks in the US – momentum remains strong in Asia, Brazil and California. By the period from 2028 to 2030, greater regulatory clarity – coupled with evolving investor expectations and consumer pressures, and intensifying environmental and social risks – is expected to create a more stable and predictable environment for sustainability investments.

Looking ahead, demand will increasingly focus on adaptive, outcome-driven sustainability engagements, prompting service providers to develop sector-focused offerings that reflect the unique operational contexts of their clients. Concurrently, regional differentiation will deepen, as varying policy environments, regulatory developments and sustainability risk profiles shape distinct pathways across geographies.

For more information, please read Verdantix Market Size And Forecast: Sustainability Consulting 2024–2030 (Global).