Research reveals latest safety and sustainability trends

The findings from EcoOnline’s research show a market-wide sense of urgency and a shift towards connected risk data and vendor consolidation, with organisations increasingly treating compliance as the baseline while prioritising improved operational visibility, faster decision-making, and the need to future-proof their businesses with real-time insights and operational readiness.

The report outlines seven macro trends, from the chemical safety maturity gap and the rise of lone work and contractor reliance to the central role of training and frontline engagement, and the need for responsible, trusted AI in safety.

• 2025 momentum that mirrors the mega trends 
  In 2025, EcoOnline saw these market shifts reflected in customer usage, adoption, and product expansion, as more organisations invest in simplifying programmes, connecting data across domains, and strengthening execution at the frontline: 
• Compliance to operational readiness: Over 850 new customers joined EcoOnline, delivering 40% growth in North America and signalling how businesses are prioritising proactive safety and real-time readiness. EcoOnline’s focus on preparedness is reinforced by its June 2025 acquisition of D4H for crisis and emergency management, which saw 40% YoY growth. 
• Connected suite adoption: Multiproduct adoption accelerated, with both multiproduct revenue and annual contract value (ACV) up 20% YoY as customers consolidate vendors for more connected approaches. 
• Need for chemical risk maturity: Chemical Manager revenue in North America increased 140% YoY, reflecting rising demand for mature chemical safety solutions. EcoOnline also expanded Chemical Manager into Australia and New Zealand in January 2026, with plans to roll out to an additional 87 countries this year.  
• Distributed workforce management: Lone worker revenue rose 30% YoY globally, with ePermits sales growing 90% YoY following EcoOnline’s global rollout of its digital permit-to-work software in October 2025. 
• Worker engagement as the success lever: Training & Learning revenue grew 30% YoY in the UK, alongside a 40% uplift in EcoOnline mobile app usage for safety workflows, highlighting the shift towards real-time safety readiness on the frontline. 
• Partner-powered delivery: EcoOnline added 18 new partners, including All4, Aion North, G&A, and VPWhite, and partner-driven ACV increased fourfold, reinforcing a growing “software + consulting” model. 
• Responsible AI in practice: EcoOnline’s purpose-built AI Assist capability was launched in a phased rollout to customers in 2025, focusing initially on incident reporting and investigations while building a foundation for predictive, suite-wide safety intelligence planned for general availability in 2026. 

“The market is clearly maturing from compliance to connected risk, and our research over the past 18 months has helped us embrace that shift early,” said Tom Goodmanson, CEO of EcoOnline. “We are also seeing those same mega trends reflected in our business momentum, as customers move beyond point solutions and invest in connected capabilities that improve visibility, readiness, and resilience. We expect the market to evolve even faster in 2026 — especially in the era of AI — and we will continue to innovate to help protect our customers and the people they serve.”

Read the full analysis in the EcoOnline Mega Trends Report.