Top 100 Chief Sustainability Officers 2025 named for USA and Canada

The 100 leading Chief Sustainability Officers (CSOs) in the United States and Canada for 2025 are released today. The list is published by Futur/io Institute, a pioneering organization dedicated to nurturing and inspiring leadership in sustainable innovation and celebrating the most impactful network of CSOs globally. 

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An extensive database of Fortune 2000 enterprises was compiled with a focus on the trailblazing CSOs and organizations that are a benchmark and pushing ahead to achieve an ambitious NetZero Goal by the year 2040. Executives stem from a diverse range of industries – excluding consulting groups and fossil fuel industries like oil & gas and related sectors. Women represent two thirds of the Top 100 CSOs of North America, with 66 women and 34 men featured on the list. US companies are the majority, occupying 94 positions, while Canada has 6 companies present. 

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The complete list is available online at: csoawards.org/north-america

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“We want to shine a light on the importance of these leaders and the role of the CSO, even in times of headwinds. They are beacons in the transition to desirable futures in which business and sustainability initiatives thrive together,” stated Harald Neidhardt, CEO & Curator of the Futur/io Institute. And adding: “Setting a bold net-zero target for 2040 or better, demonstrates the commitment to global leadership and environmental responsibility. It reassures citizens & investors that their sustainability efforts are here to stay—driving long-term investment, unlocking capital, enhancing future fitness & resilience, and fortifying energy transition.”

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To be featured in the Top100 list, the executives must be the highest sustainability representative of the company or group with an executive role, occupy the position for at least a year, and be considered a thought leader. At a company level, the list includes companies headquartered in the USA or Canada, with an annual revenue of over $1 billion and at least five thousand employees. Oil and gas companies were not considered, in an effort in line with the recent COP29 of the United Nations Climate Secretariat (UNFCCC) to encourage fast divestment from fossil fuels and resource-heavy industries.

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The Futur/io CSO Awards Top 100 List is the first step in an initiative that aims to celebrate the leading Chief Sustainability Officers of North America. 

The second part is the selection to Top20 nominees for the CSO Awards 2025. The CSO Awards will culminate at a gala ceremony in New York City on September 22, during the UN General Assembly and Climate Week. The CSO Awards North America are awarded in collaboration with Made in Sustainability and supported by premium partners IntegrityNext and Vitra.

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The Futur/io four-quadrant model was developed in partnership with scientific research and knowledge partners, such as the Leonardo Centre at Imperial College Business School and Denominator, specialized in human-centric data. In addition, knowledge partners include ClimateGPT and Rainforest Partnership.

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Futur/io Institute—together with its knowledge partners—will narrow down the Top100 list to 20 names, who will be the nominees of the CSO Awards. The final three Award Winners, as well as the special mentions, will only be announced at the gala ceremony and will be selected by a Grand Jury composed of thought leaders in sustainability. A report including all criteria dimensions and highlighting the Top 20 nominees will be published after the CSO Awards during Climate Week New York.