Dutch businesses investing less and less in sustainability measures
Fewer Dutch companies are investing in climate neutrality and sustainability for the second consecutive year. Financial pressures and electricity grid constraints are becoming larger barriers, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported.
More than 61 percent of companies said they were investing in climate-neutrality in 2026. The share was 64 percent in 2025 and 68 percent in 2024.
The figures come from the Netherlands Business Survey. The survey covers companies with five or more employees in manufacturing, automotive, retail, and services.
Most industries reported lower sustainability investment than last year. Transportation and storage had the highest share of companies investing in sustainability, at 76.1 percent. The figure was down from 77.8 percent in 2025. Real estate services followed at 74.3 percent. That was lower than the 79.9 percent recorded a year earlier.
Some sectors saw increases. Investment in car trade and repairs rose to 71.1 percent from 67.1 percent in 2025.
Investment also increased in other services. The share rose to 58.6 percent from 55.9 percent. Levels remained nearly unchanged in information and communication and retail trade excluding cars.
Manufacturing companies reported a decline. The share investing in sustainability fell to 65.4 percent in 2026 from 70 percent in 2025.
Accommodation and food services had the lowest level of investment. Only 47.3 percent of companies in the sector reported sustainability investments. That was down from 54.8 percent last year. Small and medium-sized companies showed the largest decline in investment.
Companies with five to 49 employees were less likely to invest in climate neutrality than in 2025. The same was true for companies with 50 to 249 employees.
Large companies with at least 250 employees remained the most likely to report sustainability investments.
The focus of investments differed by sector. Manufacturing companies mainly invested in energy efficiency and circular production. Transportation companies focused most often on reducing emissions. Companies that were already investing in sustainability remained positive about future spending.
In June, more companies expected their sustainability investments to increase than decrease. The difference was nearly 6 percentage points. That was almost unchanged from 2025.
Transportation and storage companies and retail businesses were the most likely to expect higher investment.
The biggest declines in positive expectations compared with last year were reported in real estate services and manufacturing. About two-thirds of companies said they faced obstacles in becoming more climate-neutral.
Financial constraints remained the biggest barrier. In June 2026, 36.1 percent of companies cited financial limitations. That was up from 34.6 percent in June 2025.
Uncertainty about the economy or government policy was the second most common obstacle. It was reported by 23.3 percent of companies, compared with 20.8 percent last year.
Electricity network and energy grid constraints also became a larger concern. The share of companies reporting this obstacle increased to 14.6 percent from 11.9 percent.
Companies could select up to two obstacles in the survey. A total of 32 percent of companies said they faced no obstacles. Other barriers included a lack of sustainable alternatives, cited by 12.9 percent of companies, and a shortage of suitable workers, cited by 8 percent.
Grid and energy network problems increased across almost all sectors. The only exception was other services. Retail trade, real estate services and transportation and storage reported the greatest concerns about grid constraints.
The strongest increases in companies reporting grid problems were seen in information and communication and car trade and repairs.
In March 2025, Het Parool reported that 20 percent of office buildings in Amsterdam still failed to meet the mandatory energy label C requirement introduced in 2023. The issue affects nearly 1.2 million square meters of office space, including buildings in areas such as Amsterdam Zuidas, Amsterdam-Zuidoost, and Westelijk Havengebied. Property owners who fail to comply face warnings, fines and possible closure orders, while banks have become less willing to finance offices with poor energy ratings.
