Digital and ESG Regulations Outlook 2025-2030

• What are the key legislative acts impacting global business and technology operations?
• Which emerging regulations are being introduced in the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, and China?
• What is the impact of individual regulations on enterprises (implementation and non-compliance costs)?
• What are the contents and details of key legislative acts?
• How are some companies preparing for the implementation of these regulations?

BT

Bosch

Bureau Veritas

Deloittle

Huawei

Krones

RedHat

Schneider Electric

Shelf Drilling

Siemens

Stihl

Uhlmann

Vodafone

Workiva

Digital and ESG Regulations Outlook 2025–2030

Introduction

The global regulatory landscape is experiencing a period of significant expansion, driven by rapid technological innovation, geopolitical shifts, and increased demands for corporate accountability. For leaders responsible for governance, risk, and strategy, maintaining an objective, forward-looking view of these changes is essential.

As part of our ongoing coverage of technology and adjacent developments, this report’s main purpose is to help readers understand the impact of emerging regulations. The analysis is based on a multi-methodology approach, including surveys, secondary research, and qualitative primary research with more than 15 regulatory experts and impacted end users.

The result is a 152-page report compiled to serve as a foundational intelligence asset for your compliance, product, and strategic planning. The report provides the necessary context for the regulatory environment by analyzing the scope, penalties, and implementation costs of over 40 legislative acts.

Report at a glance

• 152-page PDF report: A detailed document outlining the global regulatory landscape.
• Analysis of 41 legislative acts: Covering cybersecurity, data, AI, and sustainability across the EU, US, UK, and China.
• 41 regulatory deep dives: In-depth, multi-page analyses of each legislative act, covering its key provisions, compliance obligations, and timelines.
• Regulatory impact radar: A visualization that scores the overall impact of 41 regulations, mapping each one based on its enforcement timeline and operational burden.
• Analysis of 12 key takeaways: An expert review of the most important dynamics in the global regulatory landscape.

Key areas of analysis: geopolitics, compliance & costs

The report’s analysis includes an in-depth look at several key areas:

• Geopolitical and economic context: An analysis of the key drivers behind new legislation, including the rising importance of regulations in international trade and the specific impact of the new US administration on global compliance.
• Deep dive on high-impact legislation: Detailed examinations of the most challenging compliance requirements and business implications of pivotal acts such as the EU’s Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), AI Act, and Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
• Impact and cost assessment: A structured scoring methodology that evaluates each of the 41 legislative acts based on three factors: the number of impacted entities, the severity of penalties, and the estimated cost of implementation.
• Comparative regional analysis: An examination of the diverging regulatory philosophies of the world’s key economic blocs, contrasting the EU’s rights-based approach with the US focus on innovation and China’s emphasis on state control.

A data-driven foundation for key business functions

This research is designed to provide a data-driven foundation for key business functions:

• For legal, risk & compliance officers: The report’s detailed legislative one-pagers, impact scores, and timeline analysis provide the necessary intelligence to identify obligations, assess organizational risk, and prioritize compliance efforts.
• For corporate strategy & government affairs: The analysis of geopolitical drivers and diverging regional approaches offers a forward-looking view to inform long-term strategic planning and public policy engagement.
• For CTOs & product development leaders: The deep dives into digital regulations like the Cyber Resilience Act, the AI Act, and the Data Act provide a clear view of the technical requirements that will define product design, security, and data handling in the coming years.
• For ESG & sustainability officers: The detailed review of sustainability regulations, including the CSRD and CSDDD, offers a clear framework for understanding upcoming ESG reporting mandates and supply chain due diligence requirements.

Key regulatory concepts defined

Types of legislation

The report clarifies the main types of legislative acts across key regions, helping readers understand the legal weight and implementation process for each. This includes definitions and examples for:

• EU: Regulations vs. Directives
• USA: Federal laws vs. Executive Orders vs. State laws
• UK: Acts of Parliament vs. Statutory Instruments
• China: National laws vs. Administrative regulations

Impacted entities

The analysis defines and categorizes impacted entities based on consistent criteria used throughout the report, including:

• Sector: Public vs. Private sector
• Size: Small, medium, and large enterprises (with the acknowledgment that specific acts may have their own definitions)
• HQ location: Distinctions between domestic and foreign entities operating within or outside of a jurisdiction