The Hurdles of Corporate Sustainability Claims A Case Study of Building Automation and Energy Savings

Sammanfattning

As the building sector contributes roughly 40% of global energy consumption, thetwin transition of digitalization and green transformation has positioned buildingautomation as a critical tool for decarbonization. However, hardware manufacturersface a significant challenge because current reporting standards, such as the GHGProtocol, fail to capture the potentially positive environmental impacts of "savedemissions" from the use of certain products. This creates a friction between thecommercial need for organizational legitimacy in sustainability communication andthe complex, non-linear reality of building physics, which can give rise to organizedhypocrisy or greenwashing even where no deception is intended.This study employs an abductive research strategy and a case study of BemsiqGroup AB to explore these challenges. We used interviews, focus group discussionsand a novel "white paper simulation" to document the specific frictions that arisewhen translating technical performance data into sustainability claims.The findings reveal that credible, aggregated sustainability disclosure has a hurdlein structural data gaps, such as the absence of standardized baselines and limitedaccess to end-user operational data. Our "Friction Log" identifies conflicts betweenthe frame of engineers prioritizing accuracy, and the business case frame of salesteams and management seeking cognitive clarity for customers.While the frictions are numerous, double-counting and attribution dilemmas are themain hurdles. To navigate these, we propose a shift toward a bottom-up strategycentered on micro-level validation through specific customer cases. This approachallows companies to secure legitimacy with verifiable evidence while advancing moretransparent communication standards for the industry.