85% of consumers report being concerned about environmental sustainability, increasing for the first time in three years, and growing across both developed and developing markets, driven by factors including experiences with extreme weather, according to a new survey released by global management consultancy Bain & Company.

The survey also found a significant increase in the adoption of sustainable behaviors by consumers over the past 3 years, as well as growing use of AI to help identify more sustainable products and to influence purchasing decisions.

For the report, “The Visionary CEO’s Guide to Sustainability 2026,” Bain surveyed 7,500 consumers across markets including the U.S., UK, Italy, Brazil, and Indonesia.

The survey found that 85% of respondents reported being concerned about environmental sustainability in 2026, increasing from 79% in the 2025 survey, after declining over the prior two years, and with 65% also indicating that their concern about environmental sustainability has intensified over the past two years.

The increase in concern was consistent across all markets, growing to 77% in the U.S., 74% in the UK and 85% in Italy, up from 69%, 67% and 81% last year, with concern levels significantly higher in fast-growing markets, which Bain noted are more directly affected by extreme weather, reaching 90% in Brazil and 99% in Indonesia. By age group, 77% of Boomers reported being concerned, with the younger Gen Z group reporting 92%.

Extreme weather worldwide was the most commonly cited reason for concern both for respondents in developed markets, at 53%, and fast-growing markets, at 61%, followed by factors including “extreme weather in my country” at 32% and 47%, respectively, and “negative environment in my country,” at 26% and 49%, respectively.

Alongside growing levels of concern, the survey also found a significant increase in the adoption by consumers of sustainable behaviors across a broad range of categories, with 83% of respondents reporting having adopted three or more sustainable lifestyle habits, up from 73% in 2023, with 81% also reporting that they believe that their individual actions have a meaningful impact on environmental sustainability.

Notably, the report found an increase in sustainable behaviors even among consumers that report that they don’t care about sustainability, with nearly 50% reporting three or more sustainable lifestyle habits, up from 35% in 2023.

The survey found increased adoption by consumers across virtually all categories, led by limiting home energy use at 59% of respondents, up from 49% last year, and recycling at 56% (46% last year), and use of reusable bottles and cutlery at 46% (41% last year).

In addition to adopting more sustainable behaviors, the survey also found that consumers report being willing to pay 18% more for a product with sustainability benefits.

The report also indicated that consumers have expanded their definition of sustainability beyond being “environmentally friendly,” with respondents adopting sustainable behaviors due to factors such as health and resilience. Notably, the convergence of these factors appears to create powerful incentives for consumers, with respondents increasing the premium they are willing to pay for a product that offers both health and sustainability benefits to 24%.

While the survey found that consumers often struggle to determine the relative sustainability attributes of products, with 68%, for example, unable to identify the lower-carbon option between pairs of products, it also indicated that AI may emerge as a game changer in this area, enabling more sustainability-focused purchasing behavior. While the survey indicated that labels and certifications remain the top method consumers judge sustainability in store, it also found that nearly half of consumers that use AI reported having used it in the past 12 months to help them live more sustainably. 38% of consumers reported using AI to recommend eco-friendly products, up from 32% last year, while 36% reported using AI for transparency and ethics suggestions, up from 30%.

Click here to access the report.