Visual Lease has launched VL ESG Steward, a solution designed to track and report on the environmental impact of an organization's owned and leased asset portfolio. This is the first tool of its kind within the lease management and accounting solution space. The solution will enable businesses around the globe to consolidate the data needed to track their carbon footprints across assets like commercial real estate, fleet, equipment and more, and make the necessary changes to address their environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals.

As companies move forward with internal ESG initiatives and keep an eye on the future where there may be set policies and standards in place that require compliance, clearly tracked and detailed energy consumption insights across leased and owned assets will be critical. However, the process of collecting and organizing this data is anything but straightforward. Much like the lease accounting process, the data points required to track environmental impact are dynamic and complex. To streamline the process, VL ESG Steward converts consumption data of greenhouse gas emissions (CO2, PFCs, CH4, SF6, N2O, HFCs) using calculations based on the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Protocol and EPA Energy grid emissions factors. The result is an up-to-date and ongoing greenhouse gas inventory as it relates to leased, owned and other intangible assets across an organization's portfolio.

"VL ESG Steward is a natural extension of the capabilities we have provided to our customers for more than two decades. As we look ahead, the businesses that have a clear understanding of their greenhouse gas inventory will be in the unique position to easily identify areas where shifts can be made to meet internal and external goals," said Robert Michlewicz, CEO of Visual Lease. "It is a perfect complement to Visual Lease's long-standing partnership with our clients as they access dynamic lease data to maintain compliance, ensure accurate accounting practices and leverage their portfolios to their fullest potential."

In addition to greenhouse gas emissions, VL ESG Steward tracks a wide variety of environmental factors, including energy consumption, water usage, waste management and more. It collects data from a range of sources and automatically converts it into the standardized measurement of choice.

Continues Michlewicz, "We're seeing ESG reporting become an increasingly crucial part of asset management for our clients. In fact, our recent research revealed that 99 percent of senior real estate executives at companies with more than 1,000 employees believe it is important to reduce the carbon footprint of their future leases. And yet, there hasn't been a solution to support the accurate tracking and management of this critical data - until now."

"As MISTRAS recognizes our responsibility to serve as an agent for positive change and advancement of the company's ESG initiatives, we're thrilled to become a pilot customer for VL ESG Steward. We've used Visual Lease as our system of record for our portfolio of facility, automobile and equipment leases - and feel that they are well positioned to expand and provide meaningful value into the complex landscape of ESG reporting," said Thomas Tobolski, Treasurer, MISTRAS Group, Inc.

VL ESG Steward will provide leaders at both new and existing customers with the clarity needed to further leverage their lease portfolio as a strategic business asset. The launch of VL ESG Steward sets a new precedent in the lease management and accounting space, offering a long-term solution for tracking and reporting ESG commitments that are complex and constantly evolving.