ESG Trendsetters: How Array Technologies Brings ESG Into the DNA of Its Business
In our latest episode of ESG Trendsetters we highlight Array Technologies (ARRY), a leading American company and global provider of utility-scale solar tracker technology on a mission to maximize renewable energy production and accelerate the adoption of cost-effective and sustainable energy.
Hosted by Randall Hopkins, Head of ESG Solutions for Nasdaq’s Corporate Platforms business, the panel included Array’s Chief Commercial Officer and Head of ESG, Erica Brinker, Senior Vice President of Finance and Investor Relations, Cody Mueller and CEO Kevin Hostetler. The group discussed the importance of transparency when communicating ESG stories to stakeholders and Array’s three-tiered approach to ESG engagement that helps the company achieve meaningful impact when meeting its ESG goals.
Brinker noted that as a company that creates renewable energy, Array is held to a higher standard when it comes to ESG. The team welcomed the challenge but found beginning their ESG journey daunting. She lauded the help of Nasdaq OneReport in synthesizing Array’s vast amounts of information into a tangible ESG story, “I would say that Nasdaq OneReport has been a helpful resource in bringing calm to the madness,” said Brinker.
In just under a year, Array pulled together two sustainability reports, conducted a materiality assessment, set mid-term goals for the organization and then reported out metrics to leading reporting frameworks.
But to follow through with its ESG commitments, making goals and executing plans, the company needed consistent engagement in ESG to have an aligned team. Brinker credited Array’s three-tiered approach to ESG engagement as the strategy keeping ESG a primary focus to help meet Array’s targets:
- Board oversight
- Executive ESG steering committee
- ESG working groups
Array’s hard work has found success in telling its authentic ESG story to investors. When asked to offer advice to other companies, panelists said to make a plan that is ownable but actionable. Mueller added, “I think it's all about being true to who you are, where you are on that journey and being transparent at every step along that path.”
When asked about future ESG plans for Array, Hostetler ended with an emphatic commitment, “I want to be clear, our ambition is to be a leader in ESG. We want to not only be a strong financial bet for our investors, but to also be known as a responsible company.”
