The Green Economy is Already a $5 Trillion Market… But Most Companies are Still Communicating it like a Niche
What the World Economic Forum’s latest report means for growth-minded sustainability leaders and why strategy, not slogans, now determines who wins.
Recent headlines might suggest that climate action is slowing. But the data tells a very different story.
According to the World Economic Forum’s 2025 CEO Guide to Growth in the Green Economy, the green economy surpassed $5 trillion in annual value in 2024 and is on track to exceed $7 trillion by 2030, making it the second-fastest growing sector in the world after technology.
Yet many organizations are still communicating sustainability as if it were a side initiative, disconnected from growth, resilience, and competitive advantage.
Green growth is not theoretical. It’s already paying off
One of the most striking findings in the report is how companies operating in the green economy perform relative to their peers. Businesses with meaningful green revenues grow those revenues twice as fast as conventional business lines, typically access cheaper capital, and often command higher valuations in capital markets. In other words: sustainability is no longer just a cost center or compliance exercise. It is increasingly a value driver, but only for companies that know how to position it strategically.
Not all green markets move at the same speed
The report is clear that while the overall direction is set, growth across the green economy is uneven. Proven, cost-competitive solutions like energy efficiency, renewables, electrification, and resilient building materials are scaling rapidly. Meanwhile, more capital-intensive technologies, such as low-carbon hydrogen and carbon capture, require targeted policy support and regional alignment to succeed. For companies, this means blanket sustainability messaging no longer works. Investors, customers, and policymakers want clarity:
Where exactly do you play in the green economy?
Which problems are you solving today versus tomorrow?
How does your solution perform economically, not just environmentally?
Adaptation and resilience are now growth markets
Another critical shift: climate adaptation and resilience now account for more than 20% of climate-related investments, and these markets are growing rapidly in both the Global South and the Global North. From climate-resilient construction materials to data-driven risk analytics, demand is rising for solutions that help organizations operate in a world of increasing volatility. This expands the green economy well beyond energy and carbon, and opens new opportunities for companies that can articulate real-world outcomes.
The real risk: failing to tell a credible growth story
What we see at Bold Branch Collective is a widening gap between what organizations are doing and how effectively they are explaining it. Technical excellence alone is no longer enough. In a market this large (and this scrutinized) companies must:
Connect sustainability strategy to business growth
Translate technical performance into investor- and customer-relevant outcomes
Communicate with credibility in an environment of rising regulatory and reputational risk
The green economy is already here. The companies that win will be those that move beyond vague claims and clearly articulate why their sustainability strategy is a competitive advantage, backed by data, grounded in economics, and aligned with where the market is actually going.
View the 2025 World Economic Forum report.
Learn how Bold Branch Collective can help you tell your story.
