Restating Without Retreating: How To Keep Your ESG Promises When The World Is Shifting

Let’s start with an uncomfortable truth: some of your ESG targets may no longer stack up. Not because they were wrong when you set them, but because the world has changed. Whether it’s a supply chain meltdown, a shifting regulatory landscape, or simply better data on Scope 3 emissions, many organisations are realising they need to revise what they’ve promised.

And that’s actually OK. What’s not OK is pretending nothing’s changed, or worse, quietly letting ambition slip out the back door while no one’s looking.

Here at Futerra, we’ve been working on navigating these changing waters. Working with our client on both how to revisit targets (benchmarking and modelling) and then what to say about the changes (stakeholder engagement and positioning)

We’ve learnt a few things along the way.

Things don’t always go according to plan

If you’re struggling, you’re not alone. According to Deloitte, in the FTSE 100, 46 of 100 companies had to restate climate and sustainability metrics, mostly due to changes in measurement methodology or data‑errors, particularly Scope 3 emissions, prompted by new standards and regulatory scrutiny.

We’re entering a new phase of sustainability leadership. One where the brave thing isn’t just setting bold goals. It’s being honest, strategic, and transparent when those goals need to shift. And if done right, restating targets can build more trust, not less.

But only if it’s done responsibly.

Seven Rules For Restating Without Regressing

If you’re reviewing your ESG goals (or realise you probably should be), here’s how to do it without losing your credibility or your soul.

1. Explain the “why,” not just the “what.”

Don’t just announce a new number. Tell the story. Have you updated your carbon accounting methods? Integrated new supplier data? Faced disruption that demands a reset? Be honest, and treat your audience like grown-ups.

Deloitte found that nearly half of the restatements in UK sustainability reports were due to changes in methodology, and a third due to data errors. That’s not failure, it’s maturity. But only if you openly explain why.

2. Don’t let ambition quietly die.

Restating a target isn’t a retreat unless you make it one. If you’re moving a deadline, scale up the interim milestones. If you’re shifting focus, sharpen the intensity. Reframe, don’t deflate.

Take a leaf from companies like Microsoft or Autodesk, which have publicly reaffirmed their sustainability commitments even as they revise the how. Contrast that with BP, whose reduced oil phase-out target drew sharp criticism for signalling a loss of ambition rather than a strategy pivot.

3. Invite your stakeholders into the room.

Restatements made behind closed doors will look suspect, no matter how solid the rationale. Bring in your investors, customers, staff and yes, even critics. If you have to change course, do it in public. With receipts.

The best restatements are ones you co-create. Not ones you get caught explaining after the fact.

4. Be precise about executive impact.

If targets change, compensation structures must change too. Otherwise, you risk headlines like Thames Water’s, where executives received bonuses despite missing targets post-restatement. That one decision undid months of PR and fuelled public outrage. And rightly so.

Build fairness and accountability into every step. And communicate it clearly.

5. Strengthen your governance, not just your message.

Make sure restated goals are approved by your audit committee or ESG oversight body. Better still, get third-party assurance and publish a Climate Transition Plan. Your goals need the same rigour and roadmaps as your financials.

If you want ESG to be seen as core business, treat it like it is.

6. Reframe the language, but not the intent.

Yes, some words have become lightning rods. “ESG” is under attack in some circles. But the work still matters, and serious investments have been made (with much more needed). If you need to use terms like “responsible growth,” “climate transition,” or “future-ready business,” go for it. Just don’t let semantics dilute your substance.

A rose by any other name still needs to smell like accountability.

7. Sustainability is good for business, so don’t bury the lead.

Minimal waste, reliable energy, and diverse, adaptable teams are good for the bottom line. The principles of sustainability tell us to design systems that last, to make smart use of resources so we can keep going. Sustainability at its core is not at odds with profitability, but a path to it.

For those of you tired of making and re-making the same business case each year – we see you. One day we’ll live in a net zero world where this fight isn’t necessary. But until then, we infrastructure to modernize, behaviours to shift, and technologies to scale. And that means we must lead with ROI every time.

Earlier this decade, regulation and institutional investors were on our side and the ESG wave seemed almost unstoppable. Today, keeping momentum among backlash and shifting priorities requires answering focused questions: how do investments today secure long-term viability and prepare for climate risk and policy shifts, deliver on stakeholder expectations, and meet rising demand for real climate solutions?

The Difference Between Clarification and Capitulation

There’s a world of difference between updating a target and abandoning it. Stakeholders can tell. Investors can tell. Your staff can definitely tell [AO3] .

Look at the recent moves by HSBC and UBS, who scaled back their climate-linked incentives. The move might seem minor, but it signals something deeper: that climate progress is optional, not strategic. And that’s a message no smart business should be sending right now.

Meanwhile, other firms are getting it right. Unilever, despite setbacks, has been transparent in its sustainability performance and raising ambition on strategic topics. And companies like Ford and PayPal are doubling down on the business case for sustainability, rather than walking away when the going gets tough.

If you can tick all those boxes, then congratulations. You’re not backpedalling. You’re evolving.

We often talk about ESG targets as if they’re engraved in stone. They’re not. They’re meant to evolve with better science, smarter strategy and sharper tools.

But your values? Those are non-negotiable.

Facing a tangle of targets? Futerra has up-to-date benchmarking and we’re working alongside some of the worlds sustainability leaders on 2030 updates.