Top 2015 Sustainability Strategies Revealed

Cost remains the top driver of sustainability management initiatives, followed by regulations and investor/stakeholder pressure, according to Ecova’s second annual survey, 2015 Energy and Sustainability Predictions: Findings from Leading Professionals.

The report aggregates findings from a survey of more than 500 energy, facility, finance and sustainability professionals at US-based companies and reveals an important shift in the way companies are approaching and viewing energy and sustainability management.

While cost savings is still the no. 1 driver, this year’s survey results show professionals are taking a more strategic, long-term view. Fifty-two percent of respondents indicate their top priority for leveraging energy data in 2015 is to support strategic energy and sustainability initiatives and programs.

Additional challenges and opportunities that energy and sustainability management professionals will face in 2015:

• Water is increasingly important: the survey found a 10 percent increase in those viewing water as an area with the greatest opportunity for savings and improvement (second to energy) than the year prior.
• Waste is an important issue for 60 percent of respondents across a wide range of job functions and industries.
• Companies are increasingly requiring a comprehensive waste solution, with over half of this year’s respondents indicating one or more priorities for leveraging waste data in 2015.

Ecova will present the findings from this year’s survey during a webinar on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015.