Industrial engineers and execs say industry won’t hit sustainability targets, survey finds

Insiders in the industrial sector are decidedly not optimistic about the sector meeting its sustainability goals, a new survey showed.

At companies in the US, China, Japan, India, and Germany, 1,000 engineers and industrial executives were asked about their companies’ goals and day-to-day efforts with new technology, including AI, for TE Connectivity’s annual Industrial Technology Index. The survey was wide-ranging, but revealed some key metrics about how industrial employees think their companies are doing when it comes to responding to the climate crisis.

In response to the statement, “My organization will reach its own sustainability goals, even if not in line with industry goals,” only 51% of respondents agreed. Why? There seem to be four explanations: lack of sustainable technology, inadequate government regulations, not enough money to make it happen, and difficulties making the entire supply chain sustainable.

• More than four in five engineers and executives said there’s a “lack of sustainable tech currently available” to them.
• Over 60% of respondents said “stricter regulations” would help them reach their sustainability goals.
• Almost 70% said “economic constraints” prevent their industries innovating for sustainability.
• Nearly 90% said “difficulty in ensuring sustainability across the entire supply chain” is the biggest obstacle to their company’s goals—even though a majority of respondents said they “prioritize achieving “a more sustainable supply chain.”

Despite all those hindrances, engineers agreed that good old teamwork would help them cross the finish line on their goals collectively: More than 75% agreed that “industry collaboration is needed to achieve global sustainability goals.”

Overall, however, sustainability seems to be more of a priority outside the US. Only 11% of US respondents said sustainability is their employer’s “top 2030 goal”—lower than the percentages from Germany, Japan, China, and India.

Unsurprisingly, though, the US has all the other countries beat when it comes to prioritizing company profits.