Global leaders are meeting at COP26 to discuss plans to cut emissions and accelerate sustainability efforts in the public and private sectors. The world of physical operations, specifically the industrial and transportation sectors, can greatly impact sustainability progress as they consume more than 60% of energy in the United States, Samsara says. Samsara says this is why it conducted a survey with Wakefield Research to reveal how operations and fleet leaders view sustainability, and what challenges exist for setting and meeting sustainability goals for their organizations.

The research points to a desire to make meaningful change, as 78% of operations and fleet leaders agree that they have a greater responsibility to prioritize sustainability efforts than other industries. 91% of these leaders also feel significant pressure is being put on their organization to set and meet aggressive sustainability goals, including from the government (54%), suppliers/partners (44%), and even competitors (44%) as sustainability becomes a differentiator.

The most important consideration comes down to aligning efforts with the organization’s bottom line, as 94% said they can only meet their sustainability goals if they can prove it will benefit the business. With 49% operating without a sustainability strategy in place, and 87% worried their organization will not meet its sustainability goals, the study revealed several pressing challenges impacting their plans.

Fleet and operations leaders are faced with a challenging environment as supply chain disruptions and a labor shortage impact daily operations. Supply chain disruptions are preventing 33% from setting more aggressive sustainability goals. 79% also admit that these disruptions have set back their existing sustainability goals, Samsara says.

In addition, the vast majority of leaders are prioritizing the labor shortage first. The research found 93% agreed they must address the labor shortage before they can focus on sustainability goals, and it’s also preventing 42% of them from setting more aggressive goals.

Technology solutions, including the real-time data they can provide, have an important role in helping leaders move sustainability forward. Leaders revealed that COVID-19 accelerated the need for technology solutions that allow them to evaluate sustainability efforts (79%). Despite the need, many say they do not have the right partnerships (45%) and technology (37%) in place to progress and set more aggressive sustainability goals.