Sustainability remains a key differentiator for businesses, AMCS says

Sustainability remains a ‘key differentiator for businesses in an increasingly competitive and regulatory environment’, according to the latest AMCS Safety Management and Sustainability Trends Report 2025.

AMCS, which focuses on enhancing sustainability performance across a wide range of industries, said that businesses need to focus on a lot more than reporting disclosures, noting that business growth and sustainability performance go hand in hand.

As Mary Foley, expert services strategy director at Enhesa and a contributor to the report noted, “Companies that solely focus their ESG efforts on reporting are missing crucial aspects and opportunities by not integrating and embedding sustainability into all of their business processes.

“Reporting should be the outcome of the company’s sustainability driven improvements and performance, not an end in itself.”

Health and safety

AMCS worked with 13 global experts on compiling the report, which determined that health and safety has risen to the top of corporate risk tables, with top executives increasingly concerned about the mental and physical impact of their operations on employees and communities.

Digitalisation, AI, and data-driven decision-making are also transforming how businesses operate, while regulatory compliance and risk management remain ‘crucial’, the report notes.

It also highlights the ‘essential connection’ between safety management and sustainability, with safety and sustainability practices embedded directly into daily workflows and decision-making processes, creating a more integrated, performance-driven approach.

‘An integrated approach’

“This report brings to light the vital importance of adopting an integrated approach to safety management and sustainability strategies,” said Florian Lichtwald, operating partner ESG and EHS at AMCS. “As global trade dynamics shift and pressures intensify across the industrial sector, digitising core processes like EHS [environment, health, and safety] is essential for maintaining resilience and competitiveness.

“Organisations that embed safety and sustainability into their digital strategies will be better positioned to manage disruptions, safeguard their workforce, and deliver long-term value across the entire value chain.” Read more here and here.