Examining Tech’s Role in a Sustainable Future

Emily Saunoi-Sandgren is the director of sustainability for Trimble and chair of the Trimble Foundation. A social scientist by training, sustainability has always been a focus of her work.

“It was always about trying to understand how I can be a part of helping ensure we can meet today’s needs without compromising the ability to meet tomorrow’s needs,” she said.

Since joining Trimble four years ago, in a newly created role, Saunoi-Sandgren has worked to formalize the sustainable practices Trimble already had in place.

“I make sure we’re aligned internally on what we’re committed to, how we’re managing our sustainability commitments, and help us stay accountable,” she said.

Trimble offers a large suite of software, hardware and services for construction, including 3D modeling, field service management, surveying and mapping, and others. These tools help increase productivity for construction firms, which in turn, leads to a more resilient construction industry overall, according to Saunoi-Sandgren.

“It’s the ability to not just reduce your waste, but it’s also about ensuring you’re going to have a profitable business going forward,” she said.

“It’s really about seeking to understand where people are coming from, how they’re thinking about this, and developing a shared vision for each customer and each situation,” she said. Our technology can provide all sorts of great benefits and outcomes to customers. But sometimes, that initial resistance or hurdle to fully embrace digital transformation can be a barrier.”

Saunoi-Sandgren’s Sustainability Goals 

Saunoi-Sandgren said Trimble has been very supportive of her efforts and has set up a clear road map to building a more sustainable future, which helps shape these conversations.

Saunoi-Sandgren’s parents are the reason she landed on helping companies with sustainability efforts.

“They wanted to make sure I was a global citizen, that I understood not just who I was and where I came from, but how that fit into the broader world, and that I had a responsibility to be a good citizen, but they didn’t dictate what that meant,” she said. “That led me to ask big questions like, ‘Why do we have the issues that we have in the world? Why is there poverty? Why are there inequalities?’ … I realized that whatever I did [as a career], I needed to know what I was working on was helping and had the same set of values I had.”

Saunoi-Sandgren stays in sustainability because of her children and the desire to ensure they have a future: “Part of building toward a resilient future will be shaped by technology and tech adoption in the construction industry.”

“I don’t know any company that wouldn’t want to be better tomorrow than they are today,” Saunoi-Sandgren said. “Sustainability is about continuous improvement to ensure you’re around tomorrow. … Really, at the end of the day, adopting the kind of technology [Trimble provides] makes the doing of sustainability the default. As soon as you make something the default, it just becomes the practice.”

Technology’s Role

Saunoi-Sandgren said that technology helps remove the “and” from the business side of sustainability. Often, business owners look at all they need to do to run a successful business, and sustainability becomes one more thing on the pile — the “and.”

“If you can remove that and just say, ‘This is how we do business, and how we do it is going to lead to greater profits 
and greater outcomes for people and the planet,’ then you’ve made it the default,” she said.

Addressing the cost of entry of new digital tools is something Trimble is prioritizing, making the technology that helps organizations operate better and sustainably more accessible to companies of all sizes.

“One way we have been tackling this is by moving to a more subscription-focused payment model,” she said. “It’s lowering the point of entry from a capital expenditure standpoint and gives you more predictability in your monthly costs. … I would like to see that continue to evolve. We have a role and responsibility to enable that.”

Looking to the Future 

For students or those new to the construction industry looking to adopt more sustainable practices, Saunoi-Sandgren’s biggest piece of advice was to not let the complexity of it create overwhelm.

“It’s okay to take small, strategic steps,” she said. “The good news is, there are lots of examples of companies that have been doing this for a long time. There’s enough time and enough practice that’s been in place that you certainly aren’t alone, and you don’t have to start from scratch.”

Saunoi-Sandgren is also the chair of the Trimble Foundation, which organizes and donates to corporate philanthropic activities dedicated to improving communities where Trimble does business.

“This work truly reinforces the work I get to do as a sustainability leader for the company,” she said. “It’s a slightly different hat, but I still get to address the broader issues my work is dedicated to.”

She said her personal motto is to remember that it’s not about the destination, but the journey.

“Having a destination in mind — a sustainable future — helps orient me to the direction I’m heading,” she said. “But what’s most important to me are the steps along the way, the understanding, the learning, the interactions, the successes and the failures. Failure is just about learning and growing. It’s important to understand the destination you’re heading for, but what’s more valuable is understanding the living of the journey toward that.