Why ESG Data Gaps Are Holding Smart Buildings Back

55% of Building Professionals Say Their Sustainability Goals Are “On Track” - But Are They Really Moving Forward?

According to a recent survey by Atrius, 55% of professionals in the building industry believe their organizations are “progressing well” in achieving sustainability targets. At first glance, this seems like a promising sign - an 8-point increase from the previous year, suggesting that companies are finally aligning with the sustainability movement.

However, the report also highlights a critical yet often overlooked issue:

“Data governance inefficiency remains a major barrier.”

In fact, more than half of the organizations surveyed still rely on manual billing and meter readings to collect sustainability data - even as smart building technologies generate data at an unprecedented scale.

This reveals a central contradiction in today’s corporate ESG landscape:

Companies want sustainability. They’re acting on it. But they’re still using outdated tools.

The Illusion of Progress: When Sustainability Strategies Spin in Place

Lauren Scott, Vice President of Atrius’ parent company Acuity Brands, pinpointed the underlying challenge:

“More data is coming in, but it’s making sustainability decisions harder.”

As smart building endpoints proliferate - sensors, EMS (energy management systems), smart meters - the data floods in. Yet organizations are still sorting, analyzing, and uploading reports manually, often through spreadsheets.

This disconnect reflects two major structural problems:

In short, the sustainability destination may be clear, but the infrastructure to get there is severely underdeveloped. This is the core of the “data anxiety” now haunting global ESG efforts in the built environment.

From Compliance-Driven to Impact-Driven: A Mindset Shift in the Making

Encouragingly, Atrius also observed a shift in motivation: more organizations are now focusing on carbon and cost efficiency, rather than just policy compliance.

This pragmatic turn represents more than strategy - it signals a cultural transformation.

Historically, ESG efforts have been largely reactive - designed to satisfy regulators or appease investors. But amid regulatory delays and political volatility, companies are waking up to a hard truth: if ESG is not embedded into cost structures and operational workflows, the transformation will never be self-sustaining.

And at the heart of this transformation lies data governance.

In the long run, the true winners in sustainability won’t just be the companies with net-zero targets.

They’ll be the ones who can turn data into insight, insight into decisions, and decisions into performance.

The Third ESG Report Might Be a Data Report

As businesses gear up for new disclosure frameworks like CSRD, IFRS Sustainability Standards, and the SEC’s climate rule, it’s worth asking:

Are we just racing to fill out KPIs?

Or do we actually know how much carbon we emit?

Where our energy consumption originates?

When our building systems are at their least efficient?

The answers might still be buried deep in spreadsheets attached to old utility bills.

This transformation can’t rely solely on reports - or promises.

What it needs is: better data, faster integration, and deeper insights.

Otherwise, building sustainability will remain stuck in a halfway zone - appearing on track, but in truth, standing still.