Corporate climate promises are collapsing as companies retreat from green goals

Coca-Cola, BP, FedEx, and other global brands are quietly dropping or scaling back their climate commitments, a trend accelerating amid regulatory rollbacks under President Trump.

Ben Elgin reports for Bloomberg.

In short:

• More than 4,000 companies made climate pledges in recent decades, but many are now abandoning or weakening those goals, especially in the U.S., where regulatory pressure has eased.
• Some business leaders and academics say the corporate retreat reveals a deeper truth: Voluntary efforts were never enough and must be replaced with enforceable climate regulations.
• Critics highlight the hypocrisy of companies that publicly support climate goals while funding trade groups or lobbying efforts that block real policy change.

Key quote:

“I am heartened by the alacrity of the retreat and the ferociousness of it, because I think it uncovers the reality that we all need to understand, which is companies aren’t going to save the planet. The quicker that people understand and integrate that, the better.”

— Ken Pucker, professor at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy

Why this matters:

Corporate sustainability plans have long served as a public face of climate action, reassuring investors and consumers while emissions continued to rise. Now, with many firms backpedaling on those commitments and policymakers in retreat, the pressure shifts to regulatory solutions. Without binding rules, cleaner technologies struggle to compete, and the few companies trying to lead face unfair market disadvantages. This undermines progress at a time when climate science warns of escalating threats to food security, public health, and infrastructure. The business community’s mixed messages — talking green while lobbying against change — further erode trust. As global temperatures rise and extreme weather events intensify, the need for clear, enforced standards is becoming more urgent.

Related: EU delays corporate sustainability rules as businesses push back