Sustainability at NIRAS: A holistic approach

Sustainability remains a core element of how we think, work and advise our clients. At the same time, 2025 has been a year of reflection and recalibration. The transformation required to meet increasingly complex sustainability and reporting requirements has proven more demanding – and more time-consuming – than initially anticipated, both for us and for many of the organisations we work with.

In a context where regulatory frameworks continue to evolve, and where the implementation of the CSRD has been temporarily affected by the omnibus proposal, we have chosen to recalibrate our sustainability reporting efforts rather than push forward without sufficient stability and clarity in the external requirements and internal reporting set-up.

This has not affected our ongoing work with sustainability in projects. Throughout the year, we have continued to develop tools, methods and advisory capabilities that support sustainability considerations in projects, in close collaboration with our clients. At the same time, we continue to pursue our own sustainability ambitions, focusing on building the foundation needed to set credible targets and track progress over time.

We recognise that several of the sustainability targets set for the current strategy period will not be met by the end of 2026. One reason is the continued challenge of establishing a sufficiently robust and comparable data foundation across the organisation. Another is that many sustainability outcomes depend on organisational capacity and external processes and approvals that have proven more complex and time-consuming than originally anticipated.

Key environmental and climate-related risks

NIRAS has identified environmental and climate-related risks primarily linked to delays or changes in regulatory frameworks affecting sustainability investments, limited availability and consistency of environmental data across the Group, and slower-than-expected market demand for sustainability-focused projects.

These risks may impact the pace at which climate-related targets can be achieved and require continuous prioritisation and adaptation.

Policy framework for environment and climate

To manage these risks, NIRAS's approach to environmental and climate-related matters is governed by Group-level policies, procedures and management frameworks, including sustainability governance, executive oversight and integration into project delivery. These policies define responsibilities, decision-making processes and priorities related to environmental and climate impacts across the Group.

From policy to action

Environmental and climate-related policies are implemented through:

• integration of sustainability considerations into project delivery and advisory services
• development of tools, methods and competencies supporting climate and environmental assessments
• executive oversight and prioritisation of sustainability initiatives across business units

Results in 2025

In 2025, NIRAS focused primarily on strengthening the foundation for future environmental and climate reporting, including governance structures, methodologies and data readiness. While tangible reductions in emissions were limited during the year, progress was made in developing tools, processes and capabilities to support more consistent and credible reporting going forward.

This experience has reinforced the importance of aligning ambition with delivery capacity and systemic realities. Rather than adjusting targets to fit optimistic assumptions, we have focused on strengthening the structures, processes and governance needed to support long-term, measurable progress.

Looking ahead, 2026 will be a year of renewed momentum. Alongside a reassessment of our sustainability ambitions and activities, we expect our sustainability work – including the use of our own targets and data – to resume with greater clarity, consistency and credibility. This will enable us to sharpen priorities and ensure that our efforts continue to create tangible value for clients, the business and society.