Shaping demand before it exists: How industrials can commercialize sustainability in unready markets

C-level leaders are increasingly realizing the market won’t evolve on its own. It must be built. This blogpost, part of our ongoing CEM Study series, discusses examples from Simon-Kucher’s work on how emitters and clean tech providers have shaped demand instead of waiting for it. We also distill strategic priorities for industrial leaders to adopt sustainability in their businesses.

Sustainability has historically been treated as an operational and compliance challenge. The result: billions invested in doing better for the planet with too little thought given to how those efforts translate into value for customers and the bottom line. In emerging low-carbon markets, success depends not only on engineering and compliance, but also on how well companies shape demand, define value, and influence buyer expectations. From cement and chemicals to …