Acuity Brands unveils a new sustainability initiative, using technology to eliminate waste

Digital instructions are expected to save an estimated 15 million sheets of paper and an estimated 1,500 trees per year

Atlanta, GA, Feb. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE: AYI) ("Acuity or Company"), a market-leading industrial technology company, today announced a new initiative planned to reduce paper use by more than 15 million sheets and save an estimated 1,500 trees per year through its introduction of scannable QR code instructions. The shift to lessen paper usage aligns the Company's sustainability goals with its digital transformation.   

"Our products last for years and sometimes decades, and over time, the paper installation instructions are discarded or misplaced. Giving our customers digital access to the documents they need helps minimize waste and makes our product information more accessible," said Trevor Palmer, President, Acuity Brands Lighting and Lighting Controls.   

The introduction of digital QR code installation instructions is expected to reduce the Company's CO2 emissions by approximately 423,000 pounds per year. Acuity plans to make QR code instructions available for several top-selling products in its portfolio starting in May 2022. Customers will receive a QR code with their product instead of paper instructions. When the QR code is scanned, customers will be directed to a web page with installation instructions and product information that can be read online or downloaded. 

"We're always looking for innovative solutions to serve our customers better and positively impact our planet,” said Palmer. "Once we calculated the benefits of using QR codes and how it would change our environmental footprint, going digital was the obvious decision.” 

Acuity is committed to lessening its carbon footprint and helping customers do the same. The transition from paper to digital documents is part of the Company's Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) program, EarthLIGHT. For a list of products with QR Code instructions, visit this site. To learn more about Acuity Brands EarthLIGHT initiatives, visit our website.      

About Acuity Brands  

Acuity Brands, Inc. is a market-leading industrial technology company. We use technology to solve problems in spaces and light. Through our two business segments, Acuity Brands Lighting, and Lighting Controls (“ABL”) and the Intelligent Spaces Group (“ISG”), we design, manufacture, and bring to market products and services that make the world more brilliant, productive, and connected. We achieve growth through the development of innovative  
new products and services, including lighting, lighting controls, building management systems, and location-aware applications.  
  
We are based in Atlanta, Georgia, with operations across North America, Europe, and Asia and are powered by approximately 13,500 dedicated and talented associates.  
Visit us at www.acuitybrands.com.  

  

Forward-looking Information  

This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that are based on management’s beliefs, assumptions, and information currently available to management.   Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which may be beyond our control.   We caution you that the forward-looking information presented in this press release is not a guarantee of future events, and that actual events may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking information contained in this press release. In addition, forward-looking statements are statements other than those of historical fact and may include statements relating to goals, plans, market conditions and projections regarding Acuity Brands' strategy, and specifically include statements made in this press release regarding: eliminating an estimated 15 million sheets of paper per year, saving an estimated 1,500 trees per year, reducing the Company’s CO2 emissions by an estimated 243,000 pounds per year, reducing waste, and lowering costs.  Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “plan,” “seek,” “comfortable with,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe” or “continue” or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. A number of important factors could cause actual events to differ materially from those contained in or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those factors discussed in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2021, filed on October 27, 2021 and those described from time to time in our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), which can be found at the SEC’s website www.sec.gov. Any forward-looking information presented herein is made only as of the date of this press release, and we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect changes in assumptions, the occurrence of events, or otherwise.