K&H sustainability index: we are thinking well, but our actions don’t always correspond

This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2025/8-9.

According to 97% of respondents, sustainable operations improve financial performance and 96% believe environmental and social considerations represent value for investors and consumers alike. K&H’s head of sustainability Levente Suba: “It is very positive development that company executives are already on board with sustainability. The question now is how to translate this into action and measurable results”.

Change has also begun in strategic thinking

Four-fifths of managers now believe that green operations are important to the younger generation. As regards the EU’s carbon emission targets, eight out of ten company managers are fully aware of the 2050 carbon neutrality target. The strategy sub-index rose by 6 points to 40 and this indicates a positive trend. Half of companies are already addressing sustainability at the corporate level and the awareness level has also increased among companies with sales revenues below HUF 1bn.

Social responsibility pushed into the background

Although environmental considerations are becoming increasingly embedded in corporate thinking, social sustainability is showing a serious decline. The relevant sub-index dropped to a historic low of 20 points. Despite that 70% of companies are involved in some form of CSR, the number of topics covered has decreased. Barely 5% of respondent companies actually measure their carbon emissions, and the proportion of companies setting a target date for achieving carbon neutrality has plunged dramatically, from 11% to 4%.