Sustainability Commitment Hits a Record; Tariff Uncertainty Pushes Back
Commitment to sustainability in supply chains is at the highest level MIT's survey has recorded, and it is colliding with tariffs. According to the 2026 State of Supply Chain Sustainability report from the MIT Sustainable Supply Chain Lab, which surveyed 1,810 supply chain professionals across 91 countries, 83 percent rate sustainability as important or very important to long-term business success — the highest figure in the report's seven-year history. The same report finds 68 percent saying tariff uncertainty has compelled them to delay, scale back or abandon sustainability strategies. Both can be true at once: a company can believe decarbonization matters and still shelve a project when the cost of moving goods around is unpredictable. The survey measures stated priority, not shipped outcomes.
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The direction of the change is odd: 59 percent of respondents reported becoming more committed to sustainability after recent U.S. policy shifts that deprioritize environmental concerns.
Stated commitment is not verified progress. Nearly a third say tariff-related disruptions increased their operational emissions — the same pressures that make firms louder about the goal can add to the problem.