How Smart Technology Helps You Reach ESG Goals & Reduce Costs

In May, I attended Sustainability LIVE: Chicago, a premier event for sustainability and ESG executives from leading organizations across North America. The event delivered valuable insights and strategies for advancing corporate sustainability agendas.

Leaders from across industries spoke sincerely and passionately about their ESG commitments and drive to reduce environmental impact. But alongside these conversations I heard a recurring concern: How can we pursue sustainability while keeping budgets in check?

That’s the challenge many organizations face today. For most, sustainability remains both a brand imperative and a social responsibility, yet leadership teams also need to see measurable returns. Every investment must make business sense. That’s where smart technology like GENESIS from Mitsubishi Electric Iconics Digital Solutions makes a clear impact.

GENESIS is an advanced automation and digitalization software that can help organizations meet their ESG goals and reduce costs at the same time. By lowering energy consumption, monitoring emissions, and optimizing day-to-day operations, GENESIS empowers businesses to do the right thing—for the planet and for their bottom line. Sustainability isn’t just the responsible choice, it’s also a financially sound one. I’ll explain why.

Sustainability That Pays Off

If your organization is pursuing decarbonization or ESG targets, you’ve likely faced this question: Are we balancing our social responsibilities with business outcomes?

GENESIS software helps ensure the answer is a resounding ‘yes’. The platform drives significant operational and financial improvements while aligning with global sustainability frameworks and reporting requirements.

With GENESIS, you can:

• Reduce energy consumption and lower operational costs with intelligent data-driven automation
• Track Scope 2 emissions (such as purchased electricity, steam, and heating & cooling) through integrated data collection
• Integrate seamlessly with Microsoft Sustainability Manager, enabling auto-upload of key energy consumption for carbon reporting using pre-configured dashboards
• Simplify compliance with European sustainability directives and global frameworks
• Demonstrate meaningful progress toward ESG goals—helping your brand build trust with customers, partners, and investors

These capabilities position GENESIS not just as an automation and reporting tool, but as a performance multiplier—one that pays dividends across energy, compliance, and corporate reputation.

A standout example of these capabilities in action is Microsoft’s journey to achieving its energy goals without costly equipment replacements. 

Note: ICONICS is now Mitsubishi Electric Iconics Digital Solutions. While some linked case studies and white papers reference the ICONICS name, GENESIS remains the same trusted software.

Case Study: How Microsoft Achieved Its Energy Goals Without Replacing Equipment

Organizations pursuing energy efficiency are often told they need to overhaul their infrastructure—replacing outdated systems with new equipment at great expense.

But there’s a smarter, more cost-effective path.

Microsoft faced this exact dilemma. Its facilities team had two options: spend $60 million to rip out and replace aging building automation systems or modernize by layering intelligent software over existing infrastructure. They chose the GENESIS path.

By deploying GENESIS-based solutions across its Redmond campus, Microsoft was able to:

• Integrate disparate building management systems and unify data from over 30,000 pieces of equipment
• Map facility performance across 125 buildings and 500 acres in real time
• Harvest billions of data points weekly to gain deep operational insights
• Detect energy drift, correct inefficiencies, and resolve nearly half of all faults within 60 seconds
• Optimize operations without costly disruptions, extending asset life and improving technician efficiency
• Realize annual energy savings of 6-10% per year with a payback period of less than 18 months

Instead of engineers spending weeks tuning individual buildings, GENESIS transformed facilities management—reducing manual inspections and empowering teams to focus on strategic energy optimization. As a result, Microsoft strengthened its position as an environmental leader and role model, while saving millions annually on energy and maintenance costs.

[For the full details of this case study, you can read our white paper, Symphony of Software Saves Millions.]

Microsoft’s success story shows how intelligent software can deliver immediate savings and sustainability gains without costly infrastructure replacements.

But what happens when an organization sets an even more ambitious goal—like achieving net zero energy? Mitsubishi Electric’s SUSTIE building demonstrates how the same smart technology can go beyond efficiency to create energy-positive, future-ready facilities.

Case Study: Mitsubishi Electric’s SUSTIE Building – A Model for Net Zero Energy 

While many companies focus on incremental efficiency gains, Mitsubishi Electric is redefining what’s possible. Its ambitious goal is to achieve net zero energy consumption by fiscal 2031, starting with its SUSTIE building—a model of sustainable innovation. 

SUSTIE, combining “sustainability” and “energy,” was designed as a showcase for advanced smart building and energy-saving technologies. Powered by GENESIS from Mitsubishi Electric Iconics Digital Solutions and Microsoft Sustainability Manager, the project demonstrates how real-time data visibility, AI modeling, and IoT integration can transform sustainability performance.

Using Azure-based IoT solutions integrated with GENESIS, Mitsubishi Electric:

• Reduced SUSTIE’s energy consumption by 115% as of late 2023—meaning it generated surplus energy to power additional buildings.
• Modeled different energy scenarios with AI simulation to optimize systems dynamically.
• Collected and analyzed data across building systems for deep operational insights and continuous improvement.

Beyond operational efficiency, the project revealed an added benefit: enhanced occupant comfort, proving that sustainability and human experience can go hand in hand.

“We believe our learnings, with the help of Microsoft Sustainability Manager and the Azure-based ICONICS solution, will create a more sustainable world for current and future generations.” – Seiji Oguro, VP of Sustainability Innovation Group, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

[Read the full Microsoft customer story: Mitsubishi Electric advances energy-saving buildings with Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability]

While SUSTIE demonstrates what’s achievable when targeting net zero energy, other organizations are realizing significant sustainability gains without such radical transformations.

Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy’s largest banking group, shows how smart building technology can drive meaningful energy savings and ESG compliance at scale across existing facilities.

Case Study: How Intesa Sanpaolo Cut Energy Use and Strengthened ESG Compliance 

Intesa Sanpaolo needed to reduce energy consumption across its vast real estate portfolio while meeting strict European sustainability regulations.

Collaborating with Microsoft and Mitsubishi Electric Iconics Digital Solutions (formerly ICONICS), the bank deployed an IoT- and AI-powered smart building platform to shift from reactive to proactive facility management.

By integrating GENESIS with Microsoft Azure, Intesa Sanpaolo:

• Connected over 600 IoT devices across three initial buildings, generating 18,500 data points for real-time monitoring
• Reduced annual energy consumption by 15%—equivalent to 2.5 GWh per year
• Achieved estimated annual cost savings of €500,000, with future potential reaching €2 million
• Projected total savings of 10 GWh annually with additional building integrations
• Streamlined fault detection and resolution, improving comfort and operational efficiency

This smart building strategy not only advanced Intesa Sanpaolo’s ESG goals but also paid for itself within the first year, proving that sustainability investments can deliver both environmental and financial returns.

[Read the full Microsoft customer story: Intesa Sanpaolo improves real estate and facilities operations, reduces carbon footprint with Azure]

A Strategic Sustainability Approach for European Companies—and Global Ones, Too

Although the U.S. government paused the SEC’s Climate-Related Disclosure Ruling in March 2025, sustainability regulations across Europe are picking up speed. The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and related frameworks are creating new requirements for Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions tracking—and companies are expected to act. For a clear overview, see Microsoft’s article, The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD): what it is, why it’s important, and who it impacts.

Meeting these evolving standards requires a strong technology foundation—and GENESIS is that foundation, delivering the data visibility and integration capabilities needed to stay compliant and advance your sustainability goals.

Our platform makes it easy to:

• Collect and standardize energy usage data across multiple geographies
• Provide the real-time operational and energy data needed for European regulatory reporting, including integration with sustainability platforms Support global sustainability strategies with centralized, secure, and scalable data visibility

With GENESIS as your operational data foundation—and integrations with sustainability platforms like Microsoft Sustainability Manager—you can confidently meet evolving regulatory demands while advancing your organization’s global sustainability goals.

Where to Begin Your Sustainability Reporting & Cost Savings 

Many people leading sustainability efforts don’t come from engineering backgrounds. They’re passionate and focused on meeting ESG targets, complying with new regulations, and making a real impact—yet gathering the right data, establishing baselines, and creating clear reports for leadership can feel overwhelming

That’s where smart technology like GENESIS makes the difference.

Designed to be both powerful and accessible, the software delivers real-time energy and system data in a visual, actionable format. Integration with tools enables daily auto-population of Scope 2 emissions metrics, helping organizations streamline ESG reporting.

With GENESIS, your team can confidently turn sustainability goals into measurable financial outcomes—without needing a technical degree to get started. 

Turn Sustainability into Proven Results for your Bottom Line

A consistent takeaway in the sustainability conversations I’ve had is that most companies want to do the right thing. But they need to do this in a way that makes sense for their operations and their bottom line.

That’s why we recommend the approach below:

• Start by saving money. Use GENESIS to identify and cut energy waste, improve performance, and show early wins against an esatablished baseline.
• Then track and report your improvements. Whether you use Microsoft Sustainability Manager or not, GENESIS helps you collect and contextualize the data you need.
• Finally, scale responsibly. Apply what you’ve learned across other facilities or regions.

With our automation and digitalization software, sustainability becomes more than a promise—it becomes a proven strategy that serves your business, your stakeholders, and the planet.

Want to see what’s possible with GENESIS?

Learn more about GENESIS or contact us to speak with an expert about your sustainability and cost saving goals.