- Report
Executing Sustainability Strategy: When Ambition Meets Reality
Six friction points between vision and delivery
85% of sustainability executives are confident their organization can deliver on its sustainability goals. Only 43% of PMO leaders agree and only 20% of project professionals are extremely confident. PMI research surfaces the friction points where sustainability strategy weakens between commitment and execution.
Summary
Sustainability has moved to the center of corporate strategy. It sits on the CEO's desk, in the regulator's frameworks, and in the expectations of customers, investors, and employees. The question is no longer whether organizations should pursue sustainability. It is whether they can reliably deliver on what they have committed to.
Leaders face a crisis of confidence. 85% of sustainability executives are confident their organization can achieve its sustainability goals, yet only 43% of PMO leaders share that confidence. Among project professionals, who lead the charge in strategy execution, only 20% overall are extremely confident in achieving sustainability targets.
Overcoming this confidence gap drives meaningful value. PMI's research on project success has shown that sustainability is a measurable performance differentiator. Projects aligned with sustainability outperform peers on customer outcomes and long-term value. But if the performance case is clear, what happens to sustainability between executive commitment and project delivery?
Ambition is ahead of capability. 79% of respondents say sustainability positions their organization for long- term success, but only 41% say it is fully integrated across projects and functions.
The report identifies six friction points where sustainability strategy weakens on its journey from ambition to delivery:
- The benefits of sustainability are not easily quantifiable.
- Sustainability is visible but not a driving factor in decision-making.
- Execution of sustainability objectives is inconsistent due to unclear goals.
- Sustainability is deprioritized under pressure.
- Sustainability impact doesn’t map to actions.
- Outcomes operate on a longer, less visible horizon.
Solving this leadership challenge is not only about delivering on sustainability commitments, it is about building the organizational capabilities to execute on strategic objectives and develop the agility and resilience to stay competitive and relevant.
- Author
PMI Thought Leadership
- Date
June 2026
- Content Type
- Topics
- Industries
Cross-industry, Applicable findings across Manufacturing, Information Technology, Life Sciences, Financial Services, Public Sector, Telecommunications, Consumer Products & Services
85% vs. 43%
Sustainability executives are confident their organization will deliver vs. PMO leaders who share that confidence. A 42-point gap. Only 20% of project professionals are extremely confident.
79%
Of professionals surveyed say sustainability positions their organization for long-term success. Only 41% report full integration in practice.
40%
Of professionals surveyed qualify as sustainability skeptics inside their own organizations, doubting impact, feasibility, or business relevance.
A 42-point confidence gap
Six places strategy weakens
Capability powers commitment
Voices Behind the Insights
The friction points organizations describe rarely sound like strategy problems. They sound like translation problems, prioritization problems, ownership problems. The voices below are drawn from interviews across industries and roles, and they give the data its texture.
“Where's the baton handoff when the sustainability team sets the corporate goals, and then the implementation needs to be done locally? I have to figure that out, and I have to push every bit of it.”
(External interview respondent — name withheld per research consent)
Vice President of ESG, Life Sciences, USA
“It's still difficult to prioritize sustainability over profitability.”
(External interview respondent — name withheld per research consent)
Vice President, Director of ESG, Community Relations, and Sustainability, Information Technology, USA
“To do sustainability properly, I bring it under one golden thread of thinking. It is about linking it back to strategy rather than it being a side point.”
(External interview respondent — name withheld per research consent)
Strategy and Transformation Director, Engineering and Manufacturing, United Kingdom
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