Climate Week NYC 2026: The Focus Is On Data

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KERAMIDA's Nick McCreary reports back from Climate Week NYC on what CEOs, CSOs, EHS leaders, and investors are asking for in 2026 and beyond.

By Nick McCreary, Senior Vice President, Sustainability & Climate Services, KERAMIDA

During my week in New York City representing KERAMIDA at Climate Week, one thing was clear across conversations with CEOs, CSOs, EHS professionals, and investors alike. Nobody wants the story anymore; they want the data behind it.

One attendee made a point that stuck with me. If a number isn’t a regulatory requirement and won’t influence a capital decision or a conversation with a customer or supplier, then why are we collecting it? I believe that's the right question. The sustainability teams that will stand and thrive, now and in the years to come, will be the ones giving executives, operations, and finance something they can actually use. A plant energy audit that finds real savings can do more for a sustainability program's credibility with a CFO than any annual sustainability report.

For most companies, the pressure isn't coming from a regulator. It's coming from a customer. Automakers, major food and consumer goods companies, and electronics and retail buyers are increasingly requiring their suppliers to provide climate data. For a mid-sized manufacturer that has never measured its GHG emissions, that request can come with real business consequences. Providing the GHG data may now be a condition of keeping a major customer.

On the regulatory side, the landscape is becoming more focused, but that doesn't mean the pressure is going away. The EU's CSRD was scaled back under the final Omnibus package, significantly reducing the number of companies in scope, but still places regulatory demands on some U.S. corporations with substantial EU operations. California is also moving forward with its climate disclosure rules. Scope 1 and 2 reporting begins in 2026, followed by limited assurance requirements for those emissions, and the first Scope 3 reporting in 2027. The general consensus at Climate Week was that many companies are still determining whether they're even in scope, which suggests some organizations will start late and may take longer to complete.

Verification came up in nearly every conversation. As climate reporting becomes more formal, companies are facing greater scrutiny over the data they disclose and who is qualified to verify it. What was once a relatively informal reporting process is starting to look much more like a compliance audit. Companies that have the easiest time with that process are the ones that have already put the right systems and documentation in place, so their data is audit-ready when the verifier arrives.

Climate risk is also showing up in new places, like financing decisions and insurance renewals. A lender asking for flood exposure data before refinancing a warehouse, or an insurer considering a company’s exposure to wildfire when pricing a policy, is no longer hypothetical. Reporting frameworks may tell a company what climate risk information it needs to disclose, but producing that information often requires technical analysis that goes well beyond completing a reporting form. Assessing physical climate risks, for example, may require flood modeling, while evaluating supply chain exposure may require mapping supplier locations and their vulnerability to extreme heat or other climate hazards. That work requires a different set of technical skills than simply reporting the results.

Nick McCreary with members of his Sustainability & Climate team: Erica Skowron, MS, LEED GA, Senior Manager, and Ellie Agioutanti, MS, Manager.

Back in the office this week, our sustainability and climate team has reflected on what we heard during Climate Week. Data is our specialty area, and data was a central theme throughout the week. Through our discussions, we have already identified new ways to incorporate actionable data processes to help our clients integrate sustainability into business strategy, strengthen operational resiliency, and support long-term profitability.

Author:

Nick McCreary, MS, LEED AP BD+C
Senior Vice President, Sustainability & Climate Services
KERAMIDA Inc.

Contact Nick at nmccreary@keramida.com

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