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Executive Summary

This report provides a detailed, fact-based benchmark of 17 of the most prominent ESG and sustainability consulting providers in the market. Based on the proprietary Verdantix Green Quadrant methodology, our analysis entailed two-hour live briefings, client interviews and consulting firm responses to a detailed 72-point questionnaire, covering five demonstrated capability and six momentum categories. Verdantix analysis finds that the ESG and sustainability consulting market has grown substantially, in terms of customer demand and the number of consulting firms in the market, over the last two years. This is due to many factors: regulatory movement; the evolving priorities of customers, employees, and investors; closer board scrutiny of ESG performance; competitive pressure; and an increasing risk of litigation and reputational damage. Among the providers featured in the Leaders’ Quadrant, four firms – BCG, ERM, EY and PwC – demonstrated the most comprehensive ESG and sustainability consulting capabilities. 

Organisations mentioned

23red, Accenture, acondas, AFARA, Africa Matters, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Alphabet, Alteryx, Amazon, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amdaris, American Tire Distributors, Amman Stock Exchange (ASE), Anaplan, Ansell, Anthesis, ANZ, Apollo, AquaCrop-OS, Arcadis, ArcelorMittal, Arcus Consultancy Services, ARIES (Artificial Intelligence for Environment and Sustainability), AstraZeneca, Attalea Partners, B Corp, B4SI, Bain & Company, Bank of America, Bapcor, Barclays, Bayer, BayWa r.e , Benchmark Gensuite, BG Bonnard & Gardel, Bio-bean, Birmingham City Council, BMW, Boohoo, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Breitling, Bristol Myers Squibb , British Land, Bureau Veritas, Calibre, Capgemini, Capita Real Estate and Infrastructure (REI), Carbon Care Asia, Carbon13, CarbonChain, Carlyle Group, Carnstone, CDP, CDX, Chappuis Halder & Co., Charlescannon, Chile Financial Market Commission (CMF), Chubb Insurance, CIRPASS (Collaborative Initiative for a Standards-based Digital Product Passport for Stakeholder-Specific Sharing of Product Data for a Circular Economy), City of Amsterdam, civity Management Consultants, CLIMsystems, CO2 AI, Cognizant, Coho, Context Labs, conTREEbute, CoolPlanet, Cority, Corporate Citizenship, CPP Investment Board, CRH, Crowley, Dallas Fort Worth Airport (DFW), Dataland, DEKRA, Deloitte, Dentons, DHL, Diageo, Doconomy, Dominion Energy, DPS, Drax, E4tech, EBS Advisory, EcoOnline, Edrington, Eintracht Frankfurt, eIQ Mobility, Element Energy, Enablon, Enbridge, ENCORE, ENGIE, Enhesa, Ensogo, Envio Systems, Environmental Consultants, Envision Digital, EPEAT Registry, ERM (Environmental Resources Management), ESG, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), European Commission, European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG), Evolution Markets, Exiger, EY (Ernst & Young), EYP Mission Critical Facilities, Fathom, Fertilizer Canada, Fortune, Frazier Healthcare Partners, Frostbyte Consulting, Giftge Consult, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Google, Green Domus, Greenly, Greenspector, Gulf Cooperation Council, Hank, HB Reavis, Hexaware Technologies, Hilti, Hilton, Honeywell, HXE Partners, HydroNET, IBI Group, IBIS Consulting, IBM, IBM Envizi, Intelex, International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Foundation, International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), iPoint, J.S. Held, JLL, John Wood Group, JSW, Jungheinrich, Jupiter, Kayrros, KPMG, Landmark, LevelTen Energy, LIGANOVA, Maple Leaf Foods, McDonald’s, McKinsey & Company, Merck, Metabolic, Metal One, MH Partners, Microsoft, MidEuropa, Mobica, MOBILITY ADO, Morrow Sodali, NatureServe, Ndevr Environmental, Nestlé, Net Zero Financial Services Providers Alliance (NZFSPA), NextEra Energy, Nike, NINT, Nippon Steel, OCT Emissions Solutions, OPTEL, Oracle, Orica, PACER, Padd Energy, Persefoni, Pfizer, PGGM, Phidex, Philips, Planet, Planet Labs, Possible Future, PwC, Qmerit, Quantitative Scientific Solutions (QS-2), Quantmetry, Qube, Quentic, Rabobank, Ramboll, RCG, Resultante Consultoria, Revolt, Rewired Earth, Rio Tinto, Royal Agrifirm Group, RWE, Salesforce, SAP, Schneider Electric, Schofer, Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), Scottish Water, ServiceNow, SESAMm, Shell, SLR Consulting, Smiths Group, Sodra, Spadel, Sphera, Spherity, Sysco, Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Thomson Reuters, TUFLOW, Turnkey, UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), UN Development Programme (UNDP), Unilever, US Agency for International Development (USAID), US Department of Energy, US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), VelocityEHS, Wallbrook, Water Platform Company (WPC), Watershed, Williams, Wolters Kluwer, Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), Workiva, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), World Economic Forum (WEF), WSP, WWF, Xcel Energy, Xpansiv, Zara

About the authors

Priyanka Bawa

Senior Analyst
Priyanka is a Senior Analyst in the Verdantix ESG & Sustainability practice. Her current research focuses on ESG and sustainability consulting services and social aspects of ESG regulations, reporting and disclosures. Prior to joining Verdantix, Priyanka led diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) research in the legal and environment sectors. She holds a DPhil in Social Policy from the University of Oxford.

Elisa Molero

Industry Analyst
Elisa Molero is an Industry Analyst in the Verdantix ESG & Sustainability practice. Her current research agenda focuses on emerging solutions and global market trends around supply chain sustainability. Her background is in Economics, Leadership and Governance (BSc, University of Navarra). Prior to joining Verdantix, Elisa worked as a research analyst at the Centre For Economic Performance at the London School of Economics, where she completed a Master’s degree in Global Politics, with Distinction.

Kim Knickle

Research Director, ESG & Sustainability
Kimberly Knickle is Research Director of the ESG & Sustainability practice at Verdantix. Her research areas encompass ESG regulations and reporting, ESG risk, supply chain sustainability, circular economy, social impact, and sustainable finance. Kim has worked for more than 20 years in the IT industry, providing research and analysis to help companies invest wisely in new technologies. Before joining the analyst industry, she held various roles in IT services, engineering and product safety testing, beginning her career at Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. Kim holds an MBA from Boston University and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Cornell.

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