Op-ed by Dr William Beer, CEO, and Dr Aaron Yeardley, senior scientist and science team co-lead, Tunley Environmental.
In June 2026, Tunley Environmental brought together leaders from a range of product-based businesses for a roundtable discussion on the future of sustainable products. The conversation explored the question of ‘are sustainable products becoming a strategic advantage, or an increasing commercial burden in 2026?’
What we found was a nuanced perspective. Sustainability is still commercially significant, but expectations are becoming more demanding and intricate. Customers, procurement teams and regulators are pushing for verified evidence, improved traceability and a thorough business case to prove their environmental ambition.
The discussion also reinforced that sustainability does not replace the fundamentals of a successful product. Price, quality, availability and trust still take precedence. The opportunity exists in using tools such as Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs), Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), Climate Risk and Resilience Assessments and product data to improve strategy, strengthen procurement conversations and identify both environmental and commercial value.
Organisations will need to establish a more direct connection between sustainability and product design, supply chain visibility, communication, and broader environmental concerns, including water, biodiversity, circularity, and climate resilience, in the future.
Those who are capable of transforming verified data into enhanced strategy will be in the best position to generate long-term value.
‘An integral component’
The roundtable illustrated that the question of whether sustainable products are a strategic advantage or a commercial burden does not have a straightforward answer, as we had anticipated. Sustainability is now an integral component of the commercial environment in which many organisations operate, rather than a separate entity from business strategy, procurement, or product development.
The discussion also emphasised that the success of a product is not exclusively dependent upon sustainability. Price, quality, availability, and trust are still essential, and organisations cannot rely on their environmental credentials to compensate for their deficiencies in these areas.
Nevertheless, the specifications, evaluations, and selection of products are being increasingly influenced by sustainability, particularly in the context of procurement requirements, regulation, and customer expectations, which are increasingly based on evidence.
A recurring theme throughout the roundtable was the importance of turning sustainability data into something useful. LCAs, EPDs, product carbon information and traceability data can all provide valuable insight, but only when organisations use them to influence design, sourcing, procurement and wider strategy.
Producing evidence simply to meet a compliance requirement limits its value, whereas using that same evidence to identify inefficiencies, reduce risks and improve strategies can create a much stronger commercial return.
The importance of trust
Additionally, trust takes up a focal point of this discussion. Customers and procurement teams are increasingly seeking assurance that environmental claims are verifiable and accurate, while organisations want confidence in the data they receive from suppliers.
Concurrently, it is imperative that businesses convey this information in a manner that is understandable to the general public. In order to ensure that findings are effectively communicated, it is important that technical, sustainability, commercial, and marketing teams work together more closely.
Finally, the conversation reinforced that sustainable products cannot be considered through carbon alone. Water, biodiversity, circularity, climate resilience and material use are all connected within real supply chains and should increasingly form part of a more complete understanding of environmental performance.
Organisations that are able to connect these areas, rather than treating them as separate challenges, will be better positioned to manage risk and identify opportunities for improvement.
Ultimately, sustainability is neither automatically a strategic advantage nor inevitably a commercial burden. The difference is found in how organisations approach it.
Those that treat sustainability as a source of evidence, insight and improved strategy, rather than simply another compliance requirement, will be in the strongest position to turn environmental ambition into long-term commercial value.
‘Variety of experiences’
Commenting on the paper, Dr William Beer, CEO of Tunley Environmental, said, “The variety of experiences at the table was what made this conversation so beneficial. These sixteen sustainability leaders were addressing these issues in various industries, supply chains, and consumer marketplaces.
“The paper is intriguing because there was no definite answer to the question of whether sustainability is a burden or a commercial advantage. It became apparent that companies are incorporating sustainability into their strategies for managing risk, competing, and meeting customer and procurement demands. Organisations with the ability to use environmental data to make better choices are probably in the best position.”
Read the full paper here.
