Meaningful Action

As demands on sustainability and facilities teams evolve, data continues to emerge as the keystone for motivating meaningful corporate action. While most organizations are reporting incremental progress, the survey also reveals persistent challenges — lack of resources and team members to match mandated goals, manual data compilation — that require smarter tools and deeper collaboration. Comprehensive data illuminates and powers effective strategy, but with more data available, it can become overwhelming without the right tools to provide analysis and actionable insights.

The survey also reveals a nuanced shift: while organizations remain confident in setting sustainability goals, the trajectory has slowed somewhat compared to previous years. This deceleration could be attributed to delayed or inconsistent sustainability mandates and a shifting political climate, prompting teams to prioritize reduction initiatives that yield both cost and carbon savings over compliance and reporting. For example, overall progress in the U.S. may experience a temporary slowdown in the coming months and years.​

A universal commitment, but varied progress

One of the most encouraging insights from the survey is that respondents are reporting a continuing embrace of sustainability goals across sectors. An impressive 97 percent of organizations reported they are committed to goals toward sustainability, reevaluating their energy use or reducing their environmental footprint. However, within that overwhelming consensus is a more nuanced gradient of progress: 63 percent of respondents say they are on track or ahead of schedule, but only 8 percent report exceeding expectations. Twenty-two percent are just in the early stages of their sustainability journey.

This spread highlights the growing need for foundational support, especially in helping early-stage organizations develop data-driven strategies. It also speaks to the growing complexity of sustainability as a cross-functional initiative that spans procurement, operations, facilities and executive leadership.

The data dilemma: You can’t manage what you don’t measure

The phrase “you can’t manage what you don’t measure” continues to be highly relevant. As buildings and supply chains grow more complex, so does the need for reliable, centralized data. This year's report confirms that 79 percent of organizations consider building and asset-level data critically important to achieving sustainability goals. Similarly, 62 percent now see supplier data as essential to planning and working toward net zero goals.

This broader view of emissions and resource use is reshaping how companies think about environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies. While regulatory guidelines are constantly shifting and are unclear in certain regions, many companies are integrating sustainability into their corporate strategies anyway to comply with global regulations. California’s SB 253 and the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) are strongly influencing multinational organizations to calculate and report emissions across their entire supply chain. Tracking and analyzing supplier data is quickly becoming essential information to operational strategy. Forward-thinking organizations are implementing sustainability plans to reduce energy costs and meet public/market demands.

Manual vs. automated: The efficiency divide

While the survey shows that most organizations recognize the importance of data, how they go about managing this critical asset varies. A full 60 percent of respondents have some degree of centralized data management systems, with commercial organizations leading the way at 78 percent.

But there is still a heavy reliance on collecting information manually, with 50 percent of respondents sorting through external billings, and 31 percent depending on manual meter readings. These inefficiencies cost more in time and labor and increase the possibilities of reporting errors as well as the inability to see long-term trends and patterns.

However, 51 percent of organizations have now shifted to automation tools to manage sustainability data. This trend is transformative, because automation brings broad efficiencies, reduced human error and the ability to scale. Organizations with large portfolios of buildings are increasingly likely to invest in automation. Accordingly, this sector is predicted to grow substantially; the sustainability data management platform market is expected to surpass US$3.7 billion by 2029.

Budget tells the story

The survey also found a correlation between sustainability progress and budget size. Almost one in five organizations (19 percent) reported that US$500,000 or more has been earmarked toward carbon accounting and ESG reporting. These investments are most common in the industrial sector and among mature sustainability programs.

Organizations that are "on track" or "ahead" of their goals also have the highest budgets. Larger budgets allow for building management system (BMS) installations, carbon tracking platforms, building teams with diverse skill sets and operations-wide collaboration. Those at the start of their journey often work with limited resources, making it more challenging to invest in helpful tools that can produce ROIs for further initiatives.

Budgets are not just numbers but an influential corporate reflection of actual priorities. And as research from the Carbon Disclosure Project shows, companies that strategically fund their environmental efforts and are operationally transparent in reporting are better positioned for long-term value and climate resilience.

Higher ed & industrial sectors lead the way

Survey respondents also revealed the gaps in sector-specific progress. Higher education institutions lead in reported progress, with 45 percent saying they are "well on their way" in sustainability. This status might be due to stronger public pressure, campus-wide engagement and long-term planning horizons.

The industrial sector leads in financial investment, according to reported details. This could be attributed to stricter regulations in this sphere and the need to manage higher-impact operations. Government agencies appear to be lagging, with only 7 percent reporting strong progress.

From insight to action

The report, as in previous years, provides an evolving and data-rich illustration of how organizations are tackling sustainability. From supplier data to carbon budgets to BMS integration, the picture that comes to light is both inspiring and realistic, showing that diverse industries are making incremental progress with more work to do.

Respondents have provided a clear message: comprehensive data is an ally. Whether a company is just starting out on the sustainability journey or refining longer-term programs, centralized and automated data strategies are integral to success and for positioning organizations for upcoming innovations. With the right budget, tools and cross-functional collaboration, built spaces can become more than a place to work and can be a foundation of any organization’s sustainability story.

Takeaways from the Atrius State of Corporate Sustainability Report are: continually measure, take action and optimize operations. Intelligent buildings that harness the value of all the data within not only reduce energy use, but are leading the way to smarter, safer, greener spaces.