Rockwell Automation: Cyber Resilience Crucial to ESG Goals

Rockwell Automation, a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation, has released its 2025 Sustainability Report, revealing how cybersecurity compliance has become integral to its ESG strategy.

The company, which operates across more than 100 countries with 26,000 employees, provides hardware, software and services designed to help customers build resilience and sustainability into their operations.

As industrial automation systems become increasingly connected, the intersection between sustainability initiatives and cybersecurity has emerged as a critical challenge for organisations managing digital transformation.

The company has positioned cybersecurity compliance as a key pillar of its sustainability framework, recognising that cyber risks could undermine environmental and operational goals.

Rockwell is actively working with the European Union through trade groups and advisory organisations to interpret emerging cyber regulations, ensuring its approach aligns with evolving compliance standards. This proactive stance on regulatory interpretation allows Rockwell to analyse its product portfolio for compliance gaps whilst collaborating with customers on their own compliance planning.

The company's approach reflects a broader industry trend where cybersecurity and sustainability objectives are no longer separate concerns but interconnected elements of corporate resilience.

Blake Moret, Chairman and CEO at Rockwell Automation, says: "Today's industrial landscape is evolving faster than ever. Global supply chains are shifting, production is moving closer to customers and manufacturers are navigating increasing complexity.

"We are proud of the progress we've made and we remain committed to transparency, accountability and continuous improvement."

Strategic alliance strengthens security posture

Rockwell Automation has formed a strategic alliance with HackerOne, the global leader in hacker-powered security, to enhance its security resilience through collaborative threat identification.

The partnership enables ethical hackers to identify and report potential vulnerabilities in Rockwell's industrial automation products and services before malicious actors can exploit them.

The collaboration represents a shift towards proactive security measures in operational technology environments, where traditional IT security approaches may prove insufficient.

By leveraging crowdsourced security testing, Rockwell aims to identify risks across its expanding portfolio of connected industrial systems.

Tony Baker, Vice President and Chief Product Security Officer (CPSO), Digital Trust at Rockwell Automation, says: "Our partnership with HackerOne enhances our Product Security Program. This collaboration, alongside our secure development lifecycle processes and ongoing efforts to comply with global cybersecurity standards, reaffirms our commitment to the highest levels of product security."

Beyond cybersecurity, Rockwell's sustainability strategy operates through a Triple A framework – assess, advance and accelerate – which manages ESG commitments across the organisation.

The company submitted near-term and long-term sustainability targets to the Science Based Targets initiative in December 2025, awaiting validation before public announcement.

Digital transformation and environmental goals

Emmanuel Guilhamon, Vice President, Sustainability at Rockwell Automation, asserts that the path to a more sustainable future is "paved with innovation".

He continues: "That's why we're investing in digital tools, automation and AI that help us and our customers make smarter, faster decisions.

"These technologies are transforming how we manage energy, optimise operations and reduce environmental impact."

Rockwell's focus on digital tools and AI for operational optimisation highlights how modern industrial systems generate vast amounts of operational data requiring protection.

In 2025, Rockwell's Scope 1 and 2 market-based normalised emissions remained consistent with the previous year, while the company continues assessing Scope 3 emissions, which account for approximately 99% of its carbon footprint.

Rockwell exceeded its 2025 goal of diverting 90% of waste from landfill through recycling, reuse and energy reclamation. The company has also advanced circular packaging solutions, achieving targets for sustainable sourcing and incorporating up to 70% recycled content in corrugated packaging.

These environmental initiatives rely on secure data collection and monitoring systems to verify progress and maintain stakeholder trust.

The integration of cybersecurity measures with environmental monitoring ensures the integrity of sustainability reporting while protecting critical operational technology infrastructure from potential threats.