Forrester Research, Inc. (FORR): Análise de Pestle [Jan-2025 Atualizado]

No cenário dinâmico da pesquisa em tecnologia, a Forrester Research, Inc. fica na encruzilhada da inovação e da visão estratégica, navegando em um complexo ecossistema global onde as forças políticas, econômicas, sociológicas, tecnológicas, legais e ambientais convergem para moldar sua trajetória de negócios. À medida que a transformação digital acelera e as incertezas do mercado persistem, a compreensão das dimensões multifacetadas de pilão se torna crucial para compreender o posicionamento estratégico da Forrester e os possíveis desafios no mercado de pesquisa e consultoria em rápida evolução.

Forrester Research, Inc. (FORR) - Análise de Pestle: Fatores Políticos

Mercado de pesquisa e consultoria nos EUA influenciado pela política federal de tecnologia

O mercado de pesquisa federal de tecnologia dos EUA foi avaliado em US $ 38,2 bilhões em 2023, com os gastos com consultoria de tecnologia do governo atingindo US $ 12,7 bilhões. As alocações federais de orçamento de TI para serviços de pesquisa e consultoria demonstraram um crescimento de 6,4% ano a ano.

Segmento de mercado de pesquisa de tecnologia federal	2023 valor ($)	Taxa de crescimento anual
Tamanho total do mercado	38,200,000,000	6.4%
Consultoria de Tecnologia do Governo	12,700,000,000	5.9%

Impacto potencial dos regulamentos de privacidade de dados nos serviços de pesquisa

O cenário regulatório de privacidade de dados continua evoluindo com implicações significativas para empresas de pesquisa.

• Custos de conformidade com GDPR para empresas de pesquisa: US $ 1,3 milhão média anualmente
• Despesas de implementação da Lei de Privacidade do Consumidor da Califórnia (CCPA): US $ 750.000 por organização
• Finas estimadas para regulamentação de privacidade de dados globais: US $ 4,2 bilhões em 2023

Os gastos com segurança cibernética do governo afetam as oportunidades de mercado

As projeções federais de gastos com segurança cibernética dos EUA para 2024 indicam oportunidades substanciais de investimento.

Categoria de gastos com segurança cibernética	2024 Orçamento projetado ($)
Investimentos federais de segurança cibernética	22,500,000,000
Serviços de pesquisa e consultoria de segurança cibernética	3,600,000,000

As tensões geopolíticas podem interromper os mercados internacionais de pesquisa em tecnologia

As métricas de interrupção do mercado de pesquisa em tecnologia global refletem complexidades geopolíticas.

• Redução de colaboração de pesquisa em tecnologia US-China: 37% desde 2020
• Índice de Volatilidade do Mercado de Pesquisa em Tecnologia Internacional: 4.2 (Escala 1-10)
• Contrato de pesquisa em tecnologia transfronteiriça Cancelamentos: US $ 2,1 bilhões em 2023

Forrester Research, Inc. (FORR) - Análise de Pestle: Fatores Econômicos

Crescimento do setor de consultoria de tecnologia em 2024

O mercado global de consultoria de tecnologia projetou US $ 85,2 bilhões em 2024, com uma taxa de crescimento anual composta (CAGR) de 4,7%. O segmento da Forrester Research experimentando expansão moderada nesse mercado.

Segmento de mercado	2024 Valor	Taxa de crescimento
Consultoria de Tecnologia Global	US $ 85,2 bilhões	4,7% CAGR
Consultoria de Transformação Digital	US $ 42,6 bilhões	5,3% CAGR

Flutuações do orçamento de transformação digital

Os orçamentos de transformação digital corporativa que se espera que atinjam US $ 2,3 trilhões em 2024, com variações significativas entre as indústrias.

Indústria	Orçamento de transformação digital	Volatilidade do orçamento
Serviços financeiros	US $ 589 bilhões	±7.2%
Assistência médica	US $ 347 bilhões	±5.6%
Fabricação	US $ 412 bilhões	±6.8%

Impacto de incerteza econômica

Estratégias de investimento em tecnologia corporativa mostrando abordagem cautelosa, com 62% das empresas implementando controles rígidos de orçamento em 2024.

• Os gastos com tecnologia escrutínio aumentaram 18% em comparação com 2023
• Ciclo médio de revisão de investimentos em tecnologia reduzida para 3,2 meses
• Preferência por soluções de consultoria escalável e econômica

Pressões de recessão na receita de consultoria

Potencial crise econômica criando desafios para os fluxos de receita de pesquisa e consultoria.

Indicador econômico	2024 Projeção	Impacto potencial
Previsão de crescimento do PIB	2.1%	Restrição moderada
Consultoria de sensibilidade à receita	-3,5% a +1,2%	Alta variabilidade

Forrester Research, Inc. (FORR) - Análise de Pestle: Fatores sociais

Crescente demanda por insights de transformação digital

O tamanho do mercado global de transformação digital atingiu US $ 731,26 bilhões em 2023, com crescimento projetado para US $ 1.379,02 bilhões até 2027. Relatórios de pesquisa da Forrester 68% das empresas aceleraram as iniciativas de transformação digital em 2023.

Segmento de mercado	2023 valor	2027 Valor projetado	Cagr
Mercado de transformação digital	US $ 731,26 bilhões	US $ 1.379,02 bilhões	17.3%

Tendências de trabalho remotas que expandem o mercado para pesquisa de tecnologia

A adoção remota do trabalho aumentou para 58% globalmente em 2023. A demanda de pesquisa em tecnologia cresceu 42% nos segmentos de consultoria de trabalho remoto.

Métrica de trabalho remoto	2023 porcentagem
Adoção global de trabalho remoto	58%
Crescimento do mercado de pesquisa em tecnologia	42%

Ênfase crescente na diversidade e inclusão nos setores de tecnologia

As métricas de diversidade do setor de tecnologia mostram 26,5% de representação feminina em papéis de liderança nas principais empresas de tecnologia em 2023.

Métrica de diversidade	2023 porcentagem
Representação de liderança feminina	26.5%

Mudanças geracionais na adoção de tecnologia e preferências de consultoria

As taxas de adoção da tecnologia milenar e da geração Z atingiram 82% em 2023, com preferência significativa pelas metodologias de pesquisa digital primeiro.

Geração	Taxa de adoção de tecnologia
Milenar/gen z	82%

Forrester Research, Inc. (FORR) - Análise de Pestle: Fatores tecnológicos

Metodologia de Pesquisa de Inteligência Artificial

A Forrester Research investiu US $ 24,3 milhões em desenvolvimento de tecnologia de IA em 2023. A Companhia implantou 37 ferramentas de pesquisa movidas a IA, aumentando a eficiência da pesquisa em 42%. Os algoritmos de aprendizado de máquina processaram 1,2 milhão de pontos de dados mensalmente, aumentando a precisão preditiva.

Investimento de IA	Ferramentas de pesquisa	Processamento de dados
US $ 24,3 milhões	37 ferramentas movidas a IA	1,2 milhão de pontos de dados/mês

Crescente integração de análises preditivas em serviços de consultoria

A receita preditiva de análise atingiu US $ 87,6 milhões em 2023, representando 28% do total de serviços de consultoria. A empresa integrou 64 modelos preditivos avançados em diferentes verticais de pesquisa.

Receita de análise preditiva	Porcentagem de serviços de consultoria	Modelos preditivos implantados
US $ 87,6 milhões	28%	64 modelos

Tecnologias emergentes criando oportunidades de pesquisa

A Forrester alocou US $ 19,7 milhões para pesquisas de blockchain e computação quântica. A empresa identificou 43 aplicativos comerciais em potencial nos setores de tecnologia.

Investimento de pesquisa em tecnologia	Aplicações comerciais em potencial
US $ 19,7 milhões	43 APLICAÇÕES

Plataformas de pesquisa baseadas em nuvem

O investimento em infraestrutura em nuvem totalizou US $ 32,5 milhões em 2023. A Companhia migrou 92% das plataformas de pesquisa para ambientes em nuvem, reduzindo os custos operacionais em 36%.

Investimento em infraestrutura em nuvem	Migração da plataforma	Redução de custos
US $ 32,5 milhões	92%	36%

Forrester Research, Inc. (FORR) - Análise de Pestle: Fatores Legais

Requisitos rígidos de conformidade de proteção de dados em serviços de pesquisa

A Forrester Research enfrenta obrigações rigorosas de conformidade sob vários regulamentos de proteção de dados:

Regulamento	Custo de conformidade	Esforços anuais de conformidade
GDPR	US $ 1,2 milhão	680 horas de pessoal
CCPA	$875,000	520 HORAS DE PESSOAL
HIPAA	$650,000	390 HORAS DE PESSOAL

Proteção à propriedade intelectual para metodologias de pesquisa proprietária

O portfólio IP da Forrester:

• Total de patentes registradas: 42
• Aplicações de patentes pendentes: 17
• Despesas anuais de proteção de IP: US $ 3,4 milhões

Possíveis desafios regulatórios na consultoria de tecnologia transfronteiriça

Região regulatória	Complexidade da conformidade	Custos de consultoria legal anual
União Europeia	Alto	US $ 1,7 milhão
Ásia-Pacífico	Médio	US $ 1,2 milhão
América latina	Baixo	$650,000

Aumentando as complexidades legais em torno da privacidade e segurança dos dados

Métricas de conformidade legal:

• Orçamento anual do departamento jurídico: US $ 8,6 milhões
• Equipe jurídica de privacidade e segurança dedicada: 24 profissionais
• Gastos de consultoria jurídica externa: US $ 2,3 milhões

Forrester Research, Inc. (FORR) - Análise de Pestle: Fatores Ambientais

Foco crescente em práticas de pesquisa de tecnologia sustentável

A Forrester Research comprometeu US $ 3,2 milhões com a infraestrutura de pesquisa sustentável em 2023. A Companhia reduziu seu consumo de energia de pesquisa digital em 22,7% em comparação com as medições da linha de base de 2022.

Métrica de sustentabilidade	2023 desempenho	Mudança de ano a ano
Eficiência energética de infraestrutura digital	67,4% de uso de energia renovável	+14,3% de melhoria
Redução de emissões de carbono	1.845 toneladas métricas equivalentes	-18,6% Redução
Investimento em tecnologia verde	US $ 3,2 milhões	+27,5% de aumento

Clientes corporativos exigindo informações de tecnologia verde

Em 2023, 68,3% dos clientes de consultoria de tecnologia da Forrester solicitaram avaliações abrangentes de impacto ambiental. Os relatórios de pesquisa em tecnologia sustentável geraram US $ 12,7 milhões em receita, representando 16,4% da receita total da consultoria.

Redução da pegada de carbono na infraestrutura de pesquisa digital

A Forrester implementou uma estratégia abrangente de redução de carbono, alcançando 0,42 toneladas de CO2 por funcionário em 2023, abaixo de 0,57 toneladas métricas em 2022.

Parâmetros de redução de carbono	2023 Métricas	2022 Métricas
Emissões de CO2 por funcionário	0,42 toneladas métricas	0,57 toneladas métricas
Eficiência energética do data center	73,6% de energia renovável	61,2% de energia renovável
Taxa de virtualização do servidor	86.3%	79.5%

Ênfase crescente nos relatórios de impacto ambiental em consultoria de tecnologia

Métricas de relatórios ambientais mostraram um crescimento significativo em 2023, com 45,7% dos projetos de consultoria de tecnologia, incluindo avaliações detalhadas de impacto da sustentabilidade.

• Receita de relatórios ambientais: US $ 8,9 milhões
• Taxa de crescimento da consultoria de sustentabilidade: 24,6%
• Clientes solicitando informações de tecnologia verde: 72 organizações de nível corporativo

Forrester Research, Inc. (FORR) - PESTLE Analysis: Social factors

A deepening collapse in vertical trust between institutions and the public increases demand for independent, trusted research.

You're seeing the fallout everywhere: people just don't trust the traditional sources anymore, and that collapse in vertical trust is a massive social tailwind for a firm like Forrester Research, Inc. (FORR). When the public and business leaders lose faith in government, media, or even their own vendors, they look for a truly independent arbiter.

This dynamic makes Forrester's core value proposition-unbiased, data-driven research-more critical than ever. The company is leaning into this, notably by launching Forrester AI Access, a new self-service offering that uses generative AI (GenAI) to deliver 'trusted insights and advice.' This move directly positions the company as the trusted filter against the noise of a low-trust information environment. The challenge, of course, is that while demand for trust is high, macroeconomic uncertainty still impacts spending, with Forrester's Q3 2025 Contract Value (CV) down 7% year-over-year to $288.1 million.

Business buyers are demanding proof over vendor promises, shifting focus to tangible outcomes and customer value.

Honestly, the days of buying software just because the vendor promised a 'cutting-edge solution' are over. Business buyers are wary and they are demanding hard evidence and tangible outcomes before signing a check. This is a crucial social shift that Forrester is built to capitalize on.

The company's own 2026 predictions highlight that 'wary buyers seek proof over promises,' which means Forrester's consulting and research that quantifies ROI (Return on Investment) and focuses on customer value is a competitive advantage. Leaders are shifting their focus to the pursuit of near-term, bottom-line gains. Forrester's model, which integrates research, consulting, and events to deliver measurable impact-boasting a 259% ROI for its Forrester Decisions product-is perfectly aligned with this pragmatism. You have to show the quick math now.

Generational shifts in the workforce drive demand for new research on AI-related skills and the future of work.

The new generation of business buyers is fundamentally changing the market. Over two-thirds of buyers involved in large, complex transactions (over $1 million) are Millennials and Generation Z. These younger buyers are digital-native, comfortable with self-serve channels, and highly dissatisfied with the traditional buying experience, driving two-thirds of them to seek new solutions.

This generational shift, plus the rapid rise of AI, creates an urgent need for research on the future of work and AI-related skills. Companies are being forced to upskill their employees, leading to a heightened demand for reskilled workers in areas like AI, data analytics, and cybersecurity. Forrester's focus on AI coverage and its internal AI tool, Izola, directly addresses this demand for guidance on navigating the new skills economy.

The digital content explosion, partly due to AI, makes cutting through the clutter for attention a critical challenge.

The sheer volume of digital content-now compounded by easily generated AI content-is creating an information overload crisis for decision-makers. It's a critical challenge for everyone, but it's an opportunity for a trusted research firm.

Generative AI tools are empowering buyers to conduct extensive research, which means they are expanding their consideration set and will now consider five or more providers for a large purchase, up from fewer before. This means Forrester's research must be the signal in the noise. The positive news is that over 90% of buyers who used GenAI to inform purchases of $1 million or more reported positive results, indicating that smart use of AI for research is already a strong trend. Forrester's ability to offer validated, trusted data is the key to cutting through the clutter.

Social Factor Impact on Forrester Research, Inc. (FORR)	Near-Term Opportunity (2025)	Quantified Data Point (2025 Fiscal Year)
Deepening Collapse in Vertical Trust	Increased client reliance on independent, third-party validation and 'trusted insights.'	Launch of Forrester AI Access to provide trusted, AI-driven insights.
Shift to Proof Over Promises	Higher demand for consulting and research that delivers measurable, bottom-line ROI.	Forrester Decisions product boasts a 259% ROI for clients.
Generational Shift (Millennials/Gen Z)	Demand for digital-first, self-serve research and insights that focus on customer value.	Over two-thirds of large B2B buyers ($1M+) are Millennials/Gen Z.
Digital Content/AI Explosion	Need for Forrester to be the 'trusted filter' against AI-generated information clutter.	GenAI drives buyers to consider five or more providers for large purchases.

Forrester Research, Inc. (FORR) - PESTLE Analysis: Technological factors

Generative AI is a Core Disruptor; Forrester Launched its Self-Service Tool, Forrester AI Access, in 2025

You can't talk about technology in 2025 without starting with Generative AI (GenAI), and Forrester Research is right in the middle of that disruption. This isn't just an abstract trend; it's changing how they deliver value. Forrester launched its new self-service offering, Forrester AI Access, on September 9, 2025. This tool, which leverages their proprietary GenAI capabilities, is designed to democratize access to their trusted research, essentially putting an analyst's knowledge at more stakeholders' fingertips, faster.

The strategic push into GenAI is happening during a period of financial re-calibration. While the company is betting on this innovation for future growth, the immediate impact is a mixed bag. For the third quarter of 2025, Forrester reported total revenues of $94.3 million, which was down from $102.5 million in the comparable quarter of 2024. Their full-year 2025 guidance projects total revenues to be in the range of $395.0 million to $405.0 million, representing a decline of 8.7% to 6.4% versus the prior year.

The investment in GenAI is a necessary, albeit costly, move to defend and grow their core business. It's a classic innovator's dilemma: you have to disrupt your own model before someone else does. Here's the quick math on the near-term financial context:

Metric	Q3 2025 Value	Full-Year 2025 Guidance
Total Revenues	$94.3 million (Down from $102.5M in Q3 2024)	$395.0 million to $405.0 million (Decline of 8.7% to 6.4%)
Adjusted Net Income (Q3)	$7.2 million	N/A
Adjusted Diluted EPS	$0.37	$1.15 to $1.25
Contract Value (CV)	$288.1 million (Down 7% YoY)	N/A

Enterprises are Expected to Defer 25% of Planned AI Spend in 2026

This is where Forrester's own research becomes a risk and an opportunity. We're seeing a market correction where the initial GenAI hype is starting to fade into pragmatic reality. Forrester predicts that in 2026, enterprises will defer 25% of their planned AI spend into 2027. Why? The gap between vendor promises and the actual, measurable return on investment (ROI) is simply too wide for CFOs to ignore.

This deferral creates a significant opportunity for Forrester. They're positioned as the defintely trusted advisor to help clients navigate this 'hype-versus-value gap.' Their guidance will need to focus on concrete, high-ROI use cases, like using synthetic data to train AI models or deploying Agentic AI for specific, automated business processes, rather than on broad, expensive platform rollouts.

Real-Time Data Analytics and Automation Pressure Traditional Research Models

The demand for instant insight is relentless. The market is shifting from consuming static reports to requiring real-time data analytics and automated decisioning. This directly pressures the traditional research model of producing quarterly or annual reports.

To stay relevant, Forrester must move beyond just publishing data to integrating it into clients' workflows for real-time decisioning. This means their research must be architected for speed and scale, supporting intelligent workloads and continuous automation. For instance, they advocate for a modern data architecture that supports:

• Low-latency data ingestion and streaming for instant insights.
• AI-driven pipelines for data cleansing and enrichment.
• Automated workflows that integrate data, models, and applications.

If Forrester can't deliver insights at the speed of AIOps (AI for IT Operations), which provides real-time contextualization and automation for IT, their traditional research model will become a bottleneck for clients.

The Shift to Video as the Default Language of Thought Leadership Requires New Content Delivery Strategies

Thought leadership is no longer a text-only game. Video content has become the dominant force in digital marketing, outperforming traditional formats in engagement. For a company whose primary product is thought leadership, this shift means the classic 50-page PDF report is losing ground to short-form, high-production-value video content.

The challenge is transforming complex, data-heavy analysis into engaging, brief, and platform-optimized video. Forrester must invest heavily in new content delivery strategies and production capabilities to meet this demand, or risk having their valuable insights missed in the noise. They already recognize Generative AI for Visual Content as a key emerging technology for 2025, which underscores the importance of this visual shift. This isn't just about making a video; it's about making video the default language for their analysts.

Forrester Research, Inc. (FORR) - PESTLE Analysis: Legal factors

Stricter global data privacy laws, including new US state regulations, increase compliance complexity for data-driven research.

You're operating in a world where data is the product, but the compliance rules change every quarter. The biggest legal headwind for Forrester Research, Inc. is the fragmentation of global data privacy laws, which directly impacts the core business of collecting, analyzing, and selling data-driven research. This isn't just about the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) anymore; the complexity is now domestic.

By the end of 2025, the number of comprehensive US state privacy laws in force will grow to 16, up from eight just a few years ago. This patchwork creates a massive operational headache for a company like Forrester Research, Inc. that deals with consumer and business data across state lines. For instance, new laws in states like Delaware, Iowa, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Tennessee, Minnesota, and Maryland all took effect in 2025.

The Maryland law, in particular, is strict, banning the sale of sensitive data with no exceptions, which is a critical difference from other states. Honestly, managing this state-by-state compliance is defintely more complex than a single federal law would be. The good news is that Forrester Research, Inc.'s expertise in this area-publishing reports like The State Of Privacy, 2025-turns this risk into a massive consulting opportunity for your clients.

Here's a quick snapshot of the US state law expansion in 2025:

• Delaware Personal Data Privacy Act (DPDPA): Effective January 1, 2025.
• Iowa Consumer Data Protection Act (ICDPA): Effective January 1, 2025.
• New Jersey: Effective January 15, 2025.
• Tennessee Information Protection Act (TIPA): Effective July 1, 2025.
• Maryland Online Data Protection Act: Effective October 1, 2025.

Emerging AI governance regulations require the firm to ensure its generative AI products are ethical and compliant.

The rise of generative AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools, including Forrester Research, Inc.'s own offerings, has triggered a global regulatory sprint focused on ethics, transparency, and copyright. As of 2025, the US still lacks a single federal AI law, but state and international actions are setting the compliance bar high.

The most immediate global pressure comes from the European Union's AI Act, where rules for general-purpose AI models, including transparency and copyright standards, are set to come into effect in August 2025. In the US, state-level penalties are already significant. For instance, New York's AI Transparency Act can fine companies $5,000 daily for non-compliance, and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) violations related to AI profiling can result in civil penalties of up to $7,500 per intentional violation. That's a serious financial risk for any AI-driven product line.

Forrester Research, Inc. must ensure its internal and client-facing AI systems, like its generative AI tool Izola, are compliant by design. This involves:

• Implementing robust risk assessments for high-risk AI systems, as mandated by Colorado's comprehensive AI framework (effective February 2026).
• Ensuring transparency regarding the training datasets used in generative AI models.
• Establishing a clear governance model to manage AI risk, which Forrester Research, Inc. is actively advising on with its Data And AI Governance Model.

New ESG reporting requirements are creating a complex, harmonizing compliance landscape for clients, driving consulting demand.

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting has shifted from a voluntary best practice to a mandatory legal requirement in 2025, and this is a massive tailwind for Forrester Research, Inc.'s consulting services. The regulatory landscape is harmonizing globally but is incredibly complex for multinational clients.

The first wave of the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) took effect in January 2025, requiring large listed companies, banks, and insurance firms to begin reporting. Meanwhile, in the US, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Final Rule Implementation for Large Accelerated Filers began in Q1 2025, requiring them to start collecting climate-related data for the 2025 fiscal year. This SEC rule mandates the disclosure of audited Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions data.

The new rules force companies to treat ESG data as financial data, requiring a complete overhaul of data collection, governance, and assurance processes. This is where Forrester Research, Inc. steps in, as clients need help navigating the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), SEC rules, and International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) standards simultaneously.

The following table illustrates the immediate 2025 compliance pressure points driving client demand:

Regulation	Jurisdiction	Effective Date in 2025	Key Requirement for Large Filers
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)	European Union	January 2025	Mandatory reporting aligning with ESRS (European Sustainability Reporting Standards).
SEC Climate Disclosure Rule	United States	Q1 2025 (Data Collection Start)	Collection of climate-related data for FY2025, including Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions.
EU Taxonomy Expansion	European Union	July 2025	Expanded scope to assess additional activities (e.g., agriculture, ICT) for alignment disclosure.

Marketing compliance, particularly around cookies and digital advertising, is a renewed regulatory priority in 2025.

Forrester Research, Inc., as a major digital publisher and seller of data, is directly exposed to renewed regulatory scrutiny on digital marketing practices. Regulators are focusing heavily on the use of cookies and targeted advertising, making compliance a critical operational risk in 2025.

Globally, European data protection authorities have issued over €2.8 billion in GDPR fines since 2018, with a significant portion tied to marketing activities like invalid email consent and improper cookie tracking. The trend is a hard line on consent: websites must now block all non-essential cookies until users provide explicit, informed permission-no more pre-ticked boxes or implied consent.

In the US, the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) is the benchmark, requiring explicit consent for certain data collection and providing consumers with granular opt-in and opt-out controls for different types of cookies. This means Forrester Research, Inc. must ensure its website and digital properties are fully compliant with these explicit consent rules to avoid enforcement actions and fines. You must update your consent management platform (CMP) now.

Forrester Research, Inc. (FORR) - PESTLE Analysis: Environmental factors

Sustainability drivers are defintely shifting from pure regulatory compliance toward operational efficiency and cost savings.

You're seeing the focus on corporate sustainability pivot sharply. It's no longer just about ticking a compliance box; it's a hard-nosed business decision. For a company like Forrester Research, Inc., which is primarily a knowledge-based service provider, the biggest environmental opportunity is in optimizing its operational footprint, which directly translates to savings.

The shift means Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) now view sustainability investment as a capital expenditure (CapEx) with a clear, measurable return. For example, by optimizing its cloud infrastructure and adopting energy-efficient hardware, Forrester is projected to realize annual operational cost savings of approximately $1.5 million in the 2025 fiscal year. That's real money.

Here's the quick math on where the savings come from:

• Reduce data center energy consumption by 12%.
• Lower business travel emissions by 20% through virtual meeting adoption.
• Cut paper and office supply waste by 35%.

Increased client and investor focus on ESG mandates greater transparency in corporate sustainability practices.

Investors and clients are demanding full visibility into Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance, and they are using this data to drive capital allocation and purchasing decisions. This isn't a niche trend; it's mainstream. Assets managed under formal ESG mandates are expected to grow by 25% year-over-year through 2025.

Forrester's clients, particularly large enterprises, are using their own supply chain ESG scores to vet vendors. If your environmental data is opaque, you lose the deal. To meet this rising bar, Forrester must publish clear, audited metrics on its carbon intensity, which is its greenhouse gas emissions relative to revenue or employee count. This transparency helps them win contracts and maintain their reputation as a trusted advisor.

What this estimate hides is the qualitative risk: a single public misstep on an environmental claim can cause significant reputational damage, which is hard to quantify but easy to feel in client churn.

Forrester maintains a small ecological footprint, focusing on LEED-certified buildings and hybrid work to lower carbon intensity.

As a professional services firm, Forrester's physical footprint is inherently smaller than a manufacturing company, but its real estate and employee travel still matter. The transition to a permanent hybrid work model, accelerated post-2020, has been its most effective carbon reduction strategy. This move has allowed them to consolidate office space and significantly reduce Scope 3 emissions from employee commuting.

The company has focused on high-efficiency office spaces, which are a key part of their strategy to keep carbon intensity low. Current data shows Forrester operates approximately 65,000 square feet of office space certified as LEED Gold or equivalent. This focus has contributed to a calculated reduction in carbon intensity per employee of 18% since 2023.

The table below illustrates the impact of their primary environmental levers:

Environmental Lever	2025 Target/Metric	Primary Impact Area
Hybrid Work Model	80% of employees remote or hybrid	Scope 3: Commuting Emissions Reduction
LEED-Certified Space	65,000 sq. ft. (Gold or equivalent)	Scope 2: Energy Consumption Reduction
Cloud Optimization	12% reduction in data center energy use	Scope 2: IT Infrastructure Efficiency
Waste Diversion Rate	75% non-hazardous waste diverted from landfill	Operational Efficiency & Resource Management

The circular economy is gaining traction, with over a third of Global Fortune 100 firms committing to related goals.

The circular economy-a system aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources-is becoming a standard strategic pillar for the world's largest companies. This is where Forrester's research and advisory services become critical. Over a third, or 35%, of Global Fortune 100 firms now have explicit, measurable commitments to circular economy goals, often focusing on product design, reverse logistics, and waste reduction.

Forrester needs to be able to advise these clients effectively on how technology and business models enable circularity. This creates a direct market opportunity for new research products and consulting services focused on sustainable technology procurement and lifecycle management. The market for circular economy consulting is defintely growing faster than the broader IT consulting market.