As 2025 draws to a close, one thing is clear: businesses across the sector have faced both exhilarating breakthroughs and complex headwinds, as have the rapidly evolving worlds of B2B PR and marketing that support them.
To make sense of the year behind us as well as the year ahead, I asked each member of the Resonates team to reflect on what they thought stood out in 2025, and what businesses should prioritise in 2026 to stand out and communicate effectively in a competitive landscape. Here’s what they had to say:
Chris Dace, Director and Founder
Growth through partnerships
“I think succeeding as a business in any sector increasingly depends on who you collaborate with, not just what you build or create. Our work with partners like Saline, Kantar and Sims Creative shows how complementary expertise can unlock opportunities we couldn’t reach alone. As the business environment becomes more challenging, we are seeing the benefits of partnering to deliver more value for clients
“I’m sure we’ll continue to see more partnerships develop in the cleantech sector too. Collaborations between OEMs, integrators, utilities and innovators will unlock bigger opportunities.
Strategic approach to communications
“One of my hopes for 2026 is that we see more optimism from investors. There’s no shortage of innovation in the UK, but securing funding over recent years has become much more difficult. Many of the start-ups we have engaged with have seen the value from investing in strategic communications at an earlier stage than they would have in previous years.
Justin Heath, Head of Corporate Affairs
Big wins in cleantech funding and investment
“Despite a challenging macro environment, 2025 showed us that capital continues to flow toward technologies with a credible pathway to impact. Investors have grown more discerning, but also more committed. When corporates doubled down on climate goals, it created demand signals that pulled more funding into the sector than many had anticipated.”
New policy and regulation tailwinds for cleantech
“I think we’ll start to see the impacts of policy and regulation changes next year. Businesses that understand and communicate how they align with evolving regulation will be far better placed to grow in 2026.”
Hannah Thame, Account Director and Head of Operations
Client relationships and evolution of B2B marketing tools
“The biggest shift in 2025 was how AI and automation enhanced, rather than replaced human relationships. These tools made content delivery smarter and faster, but the real value, I think, came from using insights to deepen trust with clients. When you understand their challenges more clearly, you can support them more confidently.”
Metrics that matter for commercial growth
“In 2026, marketers in the cleantech space should prioritise metrics that influence revenue and not vanity. I’d expect to see pipeline contribution, customer lifetime value and the carbon impact of solutions become core to how cleantech organisations measure success. The businesses that win will be those that understand which activities truly move the commercial needle.”
Greg Miller, Content Writer
Breakthroughs in clean energy innovation
“This year proved just how fast the sector is evolving. From next-generation solar efficiency gains to rapid progress in long-duration energy storage, innovation has shifted from theoretical to tangible. Several of the clients we work with made meaningful leaps in commercial readiness – a sign that the future we’ve been writing about is now very much in motion.”
AI driven PR and marketing strategy
“In 2026 we’ll see that AI won’t just support content creation, it will shape strategy. The organisations that get ahead will use AI to understand audiences more deeply, tailor content precisely and identify exactly when and where to communicate. And I’m sure the most successful campaigns will come from teams who blend human creativity with machine intelligence.”
Rhiannon Day, Account Executive
The power of storytelling in a shifting media landscape
“This past year, the biggest change I saw was the selectivity of journalists on the stories they want to share and engage with. Their inboxes are more crowded than ever and filled with AI generated content – cutting to the chase and showing human-centric stories matters more than ever. For me, that meant doubling down on storytelling based on real-world benefits, and being clear on the tangible difference cleantech solutions can make.
How PR will make organisations stand out in 2026
“The organisations that stand out next year will be the ones who stay honest, true to their mission and remain committed to protecting the planet – as well as their reputation. When it comes to incorporating PR into their strategy, comms teams will need to focus on building relationships as well as stories – journalists want partners they can trust and experts who bring consistent and credible insight.”
Karen McManus, Content Writer
Clean technologies are now seen as realistic options
“2025 marked a real turning point for clean technology: heat pumps are increasingly the choice for new developments, we’ve seen significant growth in industrial electrification, and electric vehicles no longer feel niche. I think much of this relates to a greater understanding of the technologies and the benefits, and as understanding grows, so does adoption.”
Next year is going to be all about provable expertise
“Over the next year, the most influential voices are going to be the people and businesses with hands-on experience. Thought leadership will be less about executives giving opinions, and more about engineers, scientists and technical founders providing the insight that only real practitioners have access to.”
Simon Handby, Content Writer
AI driving big changes in B2B marketing tools
“We saw a major shift this year as AI tools matured to the point of being genuinely useful. More businesses are now finding ways to integrate them alongside human input in existing workflows – like content creation. Innovators continue to push AI to achieve genuinely novel outcomes. Nevertheless, audiences still reward content that respects their time, delivering value quickly.”
The need for credible technical storytelling
“Sustainability claims face informed scrutiny against tightening frameworks. Superficial claims carry ever greater reputational risk. In 2026, winning will be about communicating technical and ethical details clearly and honestly. Strong storytelling isn’t about exaggeration, it’s about explaining complex truths.”
Clarity, credibility and collaboration in 2026
The message across our team’s reflections is 2025 was a year of maturing technology and widening market acceptance. But 2026 will be defined by execution, credibility and strategic communication.
For cleantech businesses to cut through, grow and lead, they’ll need a commitment to building long-term trust, stronger partnerships and ecosystems, technically accurate narratives and content with transparent, evidence-based claims. And most importantly, the confidence to tell their story in a way that moves industries forward.
