Automation technology has changed the way we live and work – and has increased 
productivity, efficiency, and profitability for organizations and individuals the world 
over. Automation also has a significant role to play in achieving sustainability goals – 
offering new ways to accelerate environmental, social, and governance (ESG)  
activities across manufacturing, industry, and beyond.
SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS
Industry and government stakeholders must embrace automation technologies 
as a leading component of their sustainability goals and strategies:
• 
Optimize energy usage and energy efficiency with automation technologies,  
and rely upon automation to help reuse, refurbish, and recycle products and 
materials, particularly when undergoing a facility’s digital transformation 
•	
Promote sustainable materials and manufacturing processes in support of  
Industry 5.0 principles
• 
Utilize automation technologies to keep workers, communities, and ecosystems 
safe and protected, and train and upskill workers in automation processes  
and systems
•	
Rely upon the objective and unbiased data and analysis provided by automation 
technologies to meet governance and compliance needs
AUTOMATION CAN RAPIDLY ADVANCE SUSTAINABILITY GOALS
Automation provides transparency and accountability – ensuring that policies  
are safely followed, efficient, and well managed. Further, reliance on automation  
advancements will allow industry and government stakeholders to develop even 
more ambitious goals, strategies, and policies – taking sustainability initiatives to 
the next level, just as manufacturing advancements have been achieved through 
the application of these same technologies. Finally, a well-prepared workforce 
equipped with knowledge about the power of automation and digital transformation 
technologies will allow for these critical technologies to be applied in innovative 
ways – creating economic opportunities and fulfilling environmental goals. 
The International Society of Automation (ISA), the leading professional society  
for automation, offers standards, training, credentials, conformity assessment 
programs, and other important resources that support efforts to use automation 
as a tool to achieve sustainability goals – for individuals, organizations, companies, 
and governments alike. 
POSITION PAPER
Achieving Sustainability 
Goals with Automation
Balancing Economic Opportunity and  
Environmental Responsibility
International Society of Automation
Setting the Standard for Automation™

INDUSTRY AND GOVERNMENT STANCES ON SUSTAINABILITY
Over the past decades, many corporations have pledged their commitment to  
sustainability and environmental practices, with some making further commitments  
toward science-based targets, carbon neutrality, and net-zero targets. Shareholders 
and boards are demanding sustainability and social responsibility  
as key corporate values in addition to profitability, and Industry 
5.01  looms large as the next strategic direction for industry  
and government. 
Recently, United States regulators have shown strong support  
for sustainable manufacturing practices in the Inflation Reduction 
Act2, and the European Union’s Green Deal Industrial Plan for the 
Net-Zero Age3 pledges to scale up capabilities to achieve net-zero 
energy consumption and net-zero carbon emissions. 
A recent industry survey by PwC confirms that 60% of the world’s  
largest companies have committed to a net-zero greenhouse gas 
(GHG) emissions target.4 Even with the uncertainty of the current 
economic climate, sustainability promises will not be abandoned 
across the industry, and per J.P.Morgan5 may matter even more 
in 2023 and beyond.
THE ROLE OF AUTOMATION IN ESG
Environmental Pillar: Reduce – Recycle – Reuse 
Reduce	 Automation leads to more efficient processes that make more efficient  
use of materials – reducing the amount of materials and energy needed to  
produce products. Further, as automation technology continues to improve, 
so too does quality, resulting in less material wasted on poor products 
and less energy, human effort, and money wasted on rework. As costs fall, 
manufacturers have access to more capital through higher margins or the 
ability to be more competitive with pricing. 
Recycle	 More precise measurements and better automation have helped companies 
better understand the cost savings and the tools to implement recycling 
programs. A prominent example is the work being done to reduce water 
usage in the semiconductor industry using recycling, thanks to new water 
treatment processes. When less water is used and disposed of, companies 
can enjoy much lower utility costs, which can have a large impact on the  
bottom line. 
Reuse	
The concepts of refurbish and repair are central to the automation industry, 
which has always sought to interface larger, older systems with state-of-
the-art centralized control systems. This is particularly apparent in the 
paper and power industries, where production equipment such as paper 
machines and reactors can be decades old. Boilers can be retooled to 
accept alternative fuels, cooling tower outlet water can be reused for other 
purposes, and turbines may be refurbished to reduce heat rate, avoiding 
the cost of procuring new equipment. 
What is Industry 5.0?
Beyond advancements in  
manufacturing safety and efficiency, 
the concept of “Industry 5.0” aims to 
articulate the role and contribution 
that industry makes to society as a 
whole. With a focus on resilient,  
human-centered, and sustainable 
business strategies, Industry 5.0 
includes the use of renewable energy 
sources, the reduction of waste and 
emissions, and the adoption of  
circular economy principles, which 
aim to eliminate waste and pollution, 
keep products and materials in use, 
and recycle and reuse to “regenerate 
nature.”

Organizations looking to implement sustainable automation solutions that prioritize 
environmental responsibility should consider: 
Implement energy-efficient technologies
Energy-efficient technologies – such as LED lighting, solar panels, and efficient motors 
– and using variable frequency drives can significantly reduce the carbon footprint 
of automation. Automation can also help optimize energy usage by managing  
lighting, heating, and cooling systems. 
Adopt circular economy principles
The circular economy is a regenerative economic system that aims to minimize 
waste and maximize the use of resources. Sustainable automation should be  
designed with the principles of the circular economy in mind, promoting the reuse, 
refurbishment, and recycling of products and materials.
 
Promote sustainable materials and manufacturing processes
The use of sustainable materials, such as bioplastics, renewable fibers, and recycled 
metals, can reduce the environmental impact of automation. Additionally, sustainable 
manufacturing processes, such as 3D printing and additive manufacturing, can help 
reduce waste and energy consumption. 
THE ROLE OF AUTOMATION IN ESG
Social Pillar
Automation plays a key role in two critical areas of the social pillar of ESG: the safety  
of those working in an organization, and the safety of those around it.
In higher-risk jobs that involve applications that are dirty, dull, or dangerous,  
automation helps reduce the risks of injury to personnel. For example, advanced  
sensors help to reduce risk by determining whether an application is potentially  
unsafe or may be able to remotely isolate a hazardous process from personnel.
The safety assurances provided by automation can result in the protection of lives  
in the areas around a production site. Tightly monitoring and controlling the use of  
products in production can ensure that communities in proximity to a company are  
unharmed by the operation. This type of protection takes many forms, such as  
advanced continuous emission monitoring systems, spectral gas monitoring for 
wide area applications, and ever-evolving water treatment systems to ensure that 
hazardous material does not escape a site. This data can be displayed on a continuous 
basis to drive corrective actions and suitable alerts.
Automation also will have a social impact in upskilling the workforce and creating 
new jobs. Automation technology does not just create or destroy jobs, it transforms 
them to more meaningful, sustainable ones.6 The World Economic Forum estimates 
that an additional 12 million new jobs will be created by 2025 due to automation 
and will indeed promote job growth as needs and technologies evolve.7

THE ROLE OF AUTOMATION IN ESG
Governance Pillar
Accountability and transparency are fundamental to the governance pillar of  
ESG, and automation has a tremendous role to play in surfacing data and offering 
objective analysis. 
Measurement is a great example of how automation can offer immediate, accurate 
monitoring directly in production, rather than in a laboratory facility – making it 
easier for companies and regulatory to monitor for compliance. Data is increasingly 
available and is transparent to stakeholders, often with a layer of analysis powered 
by machine learning or artificial intelligence to identify potential areas of concern. 
This removes the potential for bias in analysis – where one engineer’s threshold 
differs from another’s interpretation. It further produces data that focuses on the 
skills of employees rather than their identities – especially important as companies 
have increased their strategic efforts on diversity, equity, and inclusion. 
SUSTAINABLE AUTOMATION IN ACTION
CONCLUSION
Organizations and entities that focus their attention on sustainable automation  
will benefit tremendously. Cost reduction, increased safety, and greater workforce  
development opportunities are the immediately apparent benefits, but leaders 
must also recognize the opportunity to demonstrate their ESG leadership in a  
climate where environmental responsibility is fundamental to business success  
and growth. 
Automation improves the  
efficiency of warehouses  
and order fulfillment. 
Robots can pick and pack 
orders, which has helped 
to reduce the amount of 
time and energy required 
to fulfill orders.
Automation and process 
control support many of 
the steps involved in  
vehicle manufacturing  
and assembly, helping 
reduce the amount of  
pollution produced by the  
manufacturing process.
Retailers benefit from  
automation-based  
solutions to reducing and 
sorting waste produced by 
stores. On-site robots can 
sort and recycle materials, 
which has helped to reduce 
the amount of waste that 
goes to landfills.

WORKS CITED
[1] Kraaijenbrink, J. (2022, May 24). What Is Industry 5.0 And How It Will Radically 
Change Your Business Strategy. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ 
jeroenkraaijenbrink/2022/05/24/what-is-industry-50-and-how-it-will-radically-
change-your-business-strategy/
[2] Internal Revenue Service. (2022, March 11). Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. 
https://www.irs.gov/inflation-reduction-act-of-2022
[3] EY. (2021, February 10). European Commission publishes proposal for a “Green 
Deal” industrial policy. EY Tax Alerts. https://www.ey.com/en_gl/tax-alerts/ 
european-commission-publishes-proposal-for-a--green-deal-industr
[4] PwC. (2021). Sustainable business: Priorities and practices. PwC US. https://www.
pwc.com/us/en/services/esg/library/sustainability-survey.html
[5] J.P. Morgan Asset Management. (2003). ESG Outlook 2023. https://am.jpmorgan.
com/be/en/asset-management/institutional/investment-strategies/sustainable- 
investing/esg-outlook-2023/
[6] Manyika, J., Woetzel, J., & Holmes, B. (2021, November 4). Automation Doesn’t 
Just Create or Destroy Jobs. It Transforms Them. Harvard Business Review. https://
hbr.org/2021/11/automation-doesnt-just-create-or-destroy-jobs-it-transforms-them
[7] World Economic Forum. (2020, October 19). Don’t fear AI, it will lead to long-
term job growth. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/10/dont-fear-ai-it-will-
lead-to-long-term-job-growth/
ABOUT ISA
The International Society of Automation (ISA) is a non-profit professional association 
founded in 1945 to create a better world through automation. ISA’s mission is to  
empower the global automation community through standards and knowledge 
sharing. ISA develops widely used global standards and conformity assessment 
programs; certifies professionals; provides education and training; publishes books 
and technical articles; hosts conferences and exhibits; and provides networking and 
career development programs for its members and customers around the world. 
RESOURCES
isa.org/standards   138+ standards for automation, cybersecurity, and more
isa.org/training 
 Unbiased, real-world training courses, personnel certifications, 
and certificates that help engineers and technicians take the  
next step in their automation career
isa.org/join 
 Membership in ISA offers unparalleled access to technical  
discussions and resources
isa.org/events 
 Network, hear best practices, and be part of the automation  
community dialogue at ISA events – both in person and virtual
	
	
	
	
 
www.isa.org
International Society of Automation
Setting the Standard for Automation™