New Report Highlights Significant Business Shift Toward Integrating Sustainability with Digital Transformation

Atrius, part of Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE: AYI), today released its first State of Corporate Sustainability Report, an analysis of how organizations create, enact, and communicate sustainability goals. This year’s report, a survey of sustainability and energy leaders across a dozen industries, reveals that sustainability and technology have intersected to create a new megatrend – an effort to minimize the impacts of climate change while maximizing the impacts of technology.

“Corporate America is developing an ethos that embraces pursuing commercial success while also taking a leadership role in protecting the global environment,” said Adam Handler, Director, Corporate Sustainability & Communications, Acuity Brands. “With proposed federal regulations that may require publicly traded companies to provide emissions transparency and reporting, there is a strong business case for integrating sustainability across organizational processes. This year’s survey respondents no longer view energy management as the destination, but rather the first of many crucial steps on the journey to sustainability towards the long-term goal of Net Zero operation.”

The new study, which builds on previous data collected by Atrius in partnership with Smart Energy Decisions, identifies positive trends toward sustainability goals with 60% of the respondents reporting being “on track” or “ahead” in their goals. However, the study also shows varying levels of maturity on the corporate sustainability journey, with 38% saying that they are “behind” or “just getting started”. Challenges cited include budget constraints and ill-defined ROI that continue to hamper implementation efforts. Unrealistic expectations also narrow the timeframe for the sustainability journey — successful outcomes with early “low-hanging fruit” projects inadvertently position sustainability as a one-time sprint versus an ongoing marathon. 

Atrius will host a webinar Wednesday, Feb. 1 to review this year’s State of Corporate Sustainability Report with an expert panel discussing its key findings and shifting perspectives. Debra Chanil, Research & Content Director for Smart Energy Decisions, will moderate a conversation with Adam Handler, Director, Corporate Sustainability & Communications, Acuity Brands.

Sustainability leaders are invited to join the Feb. 1 webinar to learn how other professionals are defining priorities for sustainability programs, overcoming barriers to successful implementation, and developing in-depth data collection and reporting. For more information, check out the 2023 State of Corporate Sustainability Report or to register for the webinar.

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