Weather-related natural disasters likely to impact sustainability initiatives, says Honeywell’s Environmental Sustainability Index

New Delhi, November 8, 2023: According to the fifth edition of Honeywell’s Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI), more than 6 in 10 organizations globally (62%) say recent wildfires, floods, and storms during 2023 will have a material impact on their environmental initiatives. Another 45% admit the extreme heat will have or has already had a material effect on their near-term plans. Compiled quarterly by Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON) and The Futurum Group, the ESI gauges movement in corporate sentiment and investment on the sustainability front.

Gavin Towler, Chief Scientist for Sustainability and Chief Sustainability Officer, Honeywell, shared that the extreme weather events this year have increased the sense of urgency for immediate action at organizations. He added, “We should expect to see more organizations looking to accelerate their sustainability efforts and, in particular, adopting a technology-driven approach to their energy transition plans.”

The findings reflect the plans and progress made in sustainability efforts across regions and industry sectors:

- Nearly 9 in 10 (88%) organizations are planning to increase their budgets for energy evolution and efficiency initiatives.
- Almost three-quarters (73%) of organizations are at least somewhat optimistic about achieving near-term goals, up from 62% a year ago. The energy sector shows the highest level of confidence among the industries covered in the study.
- Nearly 1 in 5 organizations are now taking a technology-driven approach to their sustainability initiatives – the highest percentage since the launch of the Index.
- 92% of respondents have an ESG reporting process in place, while 30% say the responsibility resides in the C-suite.

Honeywell’s quarterly Index measures corporate sustainability commitment globally in aggregate. It also compiles data to gauge activity in four specific sustainability areas–energy evolution and efficiency; emissions reduction; pollution prevention; and circularity and recycling. The Index further breaks down its findings by four regions (Asia Pacific, EMEA, Latin America and North America) and eight industry sectors (banking, consumer goods, energy, government/public sector, healthcare, technology, manufacturing/construction and transportation/logistics.)

Daniel Newman, CEO, The Futurum Group, said, “The data is showing that organizations in the public and private sectors are actively forming frameworks to partake in either policy-driven or investment and technological-oriented action in an effort to address the global objectives in environmental sustainability.”