Corporate Australia is embracing sustainability but struggling to act

Most companies see climate change as a major operational risk and support Australia’s transition to net zero. However, while businesses are embracing sustainability, they are struggling to act.

The Sustainability Index: transforming intention to outcomes, conducted on behalf of Schneider Electric, a global leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, polled more than 500 decision-makers across corporate Australia. Findings from the quantitative survey reveal that three-quarters (76%) of respondents believe sustainable transformation offers a competitive edge, which is up 13% on similar research conducted in 2021.

Asked what the drivers were towards adopting sustainability, 86% nominated profitability benefits, including increased revenues, brand equity and efficiency. Additionally, most businesses (75%) feel the benefits outweigh the costs when it comes to adopting sustainable technology, up from 68% last year.

Participants also stated there was increasing pressure from customers and shareholders to reduce their climate change impact. “We will be forced to change otherwise we will be left behind by competitors,” said one.

The research reveals a positive outlook for corporate sustainability underpinned by a need to turn intention into action according to Gareth O’Reilly, Schneider Electric’s Pacific Zone President: “Australia is at a tipping point for corporate sustainability.”

“Most companies support reaching net zero, and they know energy efficiency will make sustainability profitable, they just need the data, technology, and expertise. Now is the time to act on reducing emissions to not only reduce impact on climate change, but also to help manage operational risk and meet stakeholder expectations,” said Mr O’Reilly.

Companies are investing in the energy transformation, with most (79%) respondents agreeing that “digital is playing a key role in achieving sustainability goals” and more than half (57%) stating they had increased their spending on digital technology over the past three years, and 42% their investment in automation. A majority also planned to invest in monitoring and reporting (79%), energy and resource efficiency (75%) and data automation (74%) in the next two years.

This increased investment in digital technology to augment energy management is contributing to what Schneider Electric describes as ‘Electricity 4.0’, a new energy revolution driven by the convergence of digital and electric at scale.

However, despite recognising the commercial benefits and the public and stakeholder pressure for action on sustainability, one in ten (11%) have no intention of reducing their carbon footprint and many (45%) don’t expect to do so until 2030 or later, for several reasons.

Leading barriers to net zero reported by companies that want to decarbonise included a lack of expertise (28%) or data (21%) to do so. Most companies don’t have detailed data or resources to identify and measure their own emissions and those across their supply chains.

With climate change seen as the number one risk to the supply of energy and resources, around a third (37%) of those who participated in the survey are acting to reduce their own emissions. Additionally, 45% have, or are developing, business plans to address climate risk.

“Most businesses want to act on climate issues, but many are constrained by a lack of skills, expertise, technology, and the data to take the steps needed to cut emissions,” Mr O’Reilly said. “However, the technology is available today for businesses to make substantial emission reductions.”

“Setting a net zero target is a critical step, but it is the planning and operational changes a business makes to achieve these goals that really matters. Digital monitoring enables us to see how we use our energy, thereby driving efficiency and eliminating waste. Adding smart devices and software enables us to deploy energy more efficiently.”

Nearly half (46%) of respondents had, or were well underway with, a strategy to quantify their own emissions, or those across their supply chains, the survey reveals. Of those companies committed to decarbonisation, between 14% and 30% said they had “limited understanding” of their own emissions across the various Scope 1 and 2 elements, and between 16% and 35% for Scope 3 elements.

Roughly 30% said they had estimated their emissions based solely on their energy spending, and less than 5% said they had achieved material emissions reductions across their use of gas and fuel – although nearly 10% said they had achieved reductions in their emissions from electricity use.

“The data shows us that all the pieces for net zero are falling into place,” said Mr O’Reilly. “If businesses listen to the market, public and their stakeholders and embrace the future of energy, we can create a greener future for Australia,” he concluded.

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