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The sustainability challenge

January 2025
Sustainability is on the agenda in all industries. The construction and manufacturing industries are responsible for more than half of global greenhouse gas emissions and are therefore under heavy and increasing pressure to act and decrease their carbon footprint.

In Europe in particular the industries are facing regulatory requirements that are driven both nationally and by EU. But what are the biggest challenges seen from the industries? NTI has conducted a survey across our European markets to find out.

According to the survey, one of the biggest challenges is complying with laws and regulations that that are being introduced. The three top challenges according to the surveyed companies are:

  1. Regulatory compliance and environmental standards
  2. Lack of expertise or knowledge on sustainable practices
  3. High cost of sustainable materials and technologies

The study also shows that there are differences across Europe and that factors such as the size of the companies are of decisive importance for how they perform in their efforts to become more sustainable.

Key insights from the survey

Key insight from the survey shows:

  • The demand for sustainable products is growing rapidly, reshaping industries across Europe and placing new expectations on businesses. Larger companies experience significantly more pressure to deliver sustainable solutions, while smaller businesses often find themselves unprepared to meet upcoming EU regulations.

  • Despite the European Commission’s estimate that 80% of a product’s environmental impact is determined during the design phase, over half of AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) companies fail to consider sustainability at this critical stage. This oversight leaves many businesses vulnerable to stricter regulatory requirements and customer demands.

  • Key challenges such as the high costs of sustainable materials and technologies, a lack of expertise in sustainable practices, and difficulties balancing sustainability with profitability continue to hinder progress. Less than 1 in 10 manufacturing companies feel adequately prepared to manage these challenges.

Download the survey

The survey was distributed to NTI newsletter subscribers from the end of October 2024 to mid November 2024 as well as made accesible from NTI LinkedIn accounts.
The survey was anonymous.
A total of 656 responded during the survey period

The key findings from the survey are shared in this report.

Download report

For further infomation

Henriette TamaĊĦauskas

CMO

NTI GROUP