Barometer of Decarbonisation and Adaptation Among Industrial SMEs and Mid-Sized Companies in Europe and North America 2026
“Decarbonisation is a critical challenge and an opportunity for European companies.”Barometer of Decarbonisation and Adaptation Among Industrial SMEs and Mid-Sized Companies in Europe and North America 2026
“Decarbonisation is a critical challenge and an opportunity for European companies.”
Decarbonisation strategies are based on levers that are now well identified. Adaptation is essential: one in two manufacturers is already facing climaterelated risks.
Key figures
- Nearly one in two industrial companies has faced a climate event that disrupted its operations over the past two years (38% in Europe, 59% in the United States). In response to this reality, climate adaptation is now emerging as a priority issue for industrial players, alongside decarbonisation, whose deployment is already underway and progressing steadily.
- 41% of companies report being operational or in the deployment phase of adaptation initiatives.
- In addition, 94% of industrial executives consider industrial decarbonisation necessary to address climate emergency.
- One company out of two (49%) reports being operational or in the deployment phase of its decarbonisation strategy.
- Dutch and British leaders are increasingly likely to report no barriers to decarbonisation (12%).
- The main barriers globally include the complexity of solutions (28%) and the scale of required investments (26%).
“ Well done, the decarbonisation of our companies in Europe and North America is making progress, and we were pleasantly surprised by the findings of the Decarbonisation Barometer. Decarbonisation is a critical issue and an opportunity for European companies. It is a matter of sovereignty, reducing spending on carbon-based energy; an economic issue, lowering energy bills and mitigating fluctuations linked to hydrocarbon and gas prices; and a civic issue. The technologies are here and are becoming more cost-effective, not only for decarbonising lightduty vehicles, buses, and now truckers, but also for significantly decarbonising building heating and industrial heating. The five years leading up to 2030 will be a time of major progress; many business leaders are taking action, drastically reducing their Scope 1 and 2 emissions ”
About Equans Group
A subsidiary of the Bouygues group, Equans is a global leader in the energy and services sector, operating in 20 countries, with 83,000 employees across five continents, and €18.7bn in revenue in 2025. Equans designs, installs and delivers tailored solutions to enhance its clients’ equipment, systems and technical processes and optimise their use as part of their energy, industrial and digital transitions. With a strong local footprint built on its historic brands and leading technical expertise, Equans’ highly qualified experts support regions, cities, industries and buildings across HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), refrigeration and fire safety, facilities management, digital and ICT, electrical, mechanical and robotics services. Equans is the market leader across key European markets (France, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK) and also has a strong presence in the United States and Latin America.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Florence Lépany-Duval | contact-media@equans.com
Agence Edelman pour Equans | equansfr@edelman.com
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