Survey: As Sustainability Rules Come Into Focus, Middle Market Companies Take Action

RSM's Middle Market Sustainability Survey 2024 shows that middle market businesses in the United States and Canada are making strides to adapt to recent or forthcoming sustainability regulations, even while some final rules have yet to be determined, new survey research from RSM finds. Moreover, these companies acknowledge that meeting sustainability requirements in an evolving regulatory landscape requires outside help.

A large majority (75%) of respondents report their organization has already taken steps to prepare for compliance with at least one of the sustainability regulations listed in the survey. The sample—provided by Big Village Insights—consisted of 412 professionals at middle market companies and nonprofits in the United States (303 responses) and Canada (109 responses), surveyed from Aug. 27 through Sept. 3, 2024.

“This is a big shift,” says Tu Nguyen, RSM Canada economist. “Ten years ago, sustainability was seen as something that a few niche businesses would participate in, and others may not have paid much attention. Today, that’s no longer the case.”