Motorola Solutions sustainability score: 39/100

Motorola Solutions' 2025 TCFD Report discloses Scope 1 of 14,181 tCO2e and Scope 2 (location-based) of 60,455 tCO2e for 2024, using GHG Protocol methodology with an operational control boundary. Three years of data are provided (2022–2024). The company lists independent Greenhouse Gas Verification on its CR portal, indicating limited third-party assurance. Scope 1+2 declined from 77,339 tCO2e (2023) to 64,599 tCO2e (2024), a 16.5% absolute reduction. Market-based Scope 2 is not separately disclosed in the TCFD table, limiting granularity. Score stops at 8 rather than 10 due to the absence of a fully granular facility-level breakdown and because market-based Scope 2 figures are not confirmed in primary documents reviewed.

Motorola Solutions discloses nine Scope 3 categories for 2024 totalling 1,332,113 tCO2e, up 33% from 1,004,037 tCO2e in 2023. Category 11 (Use of Sold Products) is the largest at 877,953 tCO2e (66% of Scope 3), followed by Category 1 (Purchased Goods & Services) at 283,731 tCO2e. The company has tracked Scope 3 for six years per the TCFD Report. An RBA Emissions Management Tool has been deployed to track supplier GHG emissions and goals. However, no Scope 3 reduction target exists, Scope 3 rose sharply in 2024 primarily driven by product use emissions growing 65%, and supplier engagement remains at the tracking stage rather than verified reduction. Score of 6 reflects quantification of the majority of material categories with methodology and supplier tracking, but absence of reduction targets and rising trajectory cap further progress.

Scope 1+2 emissions fell 16.5% in absolute terms from 77,339 tCO2e (2023) to 64,599 tCO2e (2024), which is a genuine absolute operational reduction. However, Scope 3 rose 33% year-on-year (1,004,037 tCO2e in 2023 to 1,332,113 tCO2e in 2024), driven primarily by Category 11 (Use of Sold Products) growing from 531,423 to 877,953 tCO2e — a 65% increase. Total emissions across all scopes rose substantially in 2024. Under the rubric, total trajectory is upward, so a score above 4 is not permitted. Scope 1+2 progress is recognised, but the Scope 3 increase overwhelms it. The Scope 3 rise may partly reflect improved methodology (the TCFD notes expanding supply chain data collection) but no restatement note confirms this.

Motorola Solutions' 2025 TCFD Report explicitly states that 'most of our operations rely on electricity, with a significant portion generated from fossil fuels.' The company is not a member of RE100 and has not published a verified global renewable energy percentage in the primary documents reviewed. One remediation site in Arizona (groundwater treatment) operates on 100% renewable electricity, but this is a single minor facility. Energy efficiency programmes are active: building automation savings at Schaumburg, FDD-identified HVAC improvements, ComEd SEM programme participation, and LED retrofits. LEED Gold certification at Chicago HQ. These represent meaningful efficiency investments but not a renewable energy transition strategy. Score of 3 reflects minimal energy consumer category does not apply (MSI is a global manufacturer), and the company has some environmental awareness but no formal renewable energy strategy or material renewable procurement.

Key sites operate under ISO 14001-certified environmental management systems. A Green Procurement Policy prioritises suppliers actively reducing environmental impacts. A 2025 global packaging initiative encourages suppliers to adopt FSC and other sustainable forest management certifications. The company is actively remediating historical groundwater contamination at two EPA Superfund sites (NIBW in Scottsdale and 52nd Street in Phoenix), with soil remediation complete since 2015 and groundwater remediation ongoing. No TNFD disclosure found. No formal deforestation commitment. Motorola Solutions' inherent nature exposure as an electronics/communications company is moderate — limited land use, no agricultural supply chain, but procurement of metals and minerals carries embedded nature risk. Score of 4 reflects assessed nature dependencies in operations and basic environmental policy, with ISO 14001 and procurement standards, but absence of TNFD-aligned disclosure or quantified nature footprint.

Motorola Solutions has implemented enhancements to its battery recycling takeback programme, making bulk returns easier and improving rates. Lead content was significantly reduced across the battery product portfolio in 2024. A composting programme at the Elgin, Illinois facility diverted approximately 5,000 kilograms of organic waste in 2024. Cloud service efficiency improvements achieved a 64% GHG reduction despite 230% usage growth from 2021 to 2024. A 2025 packaging initiative sets environmental requirements for outbound packaging. Annual recycling rate targets are set. However, no comprehensive circularity metrics, no verified closed-loop systems, and no public reporting of total recycling rates or specific waste diversion percentages are confirmed in primary sources reviewed.

Motorola Solutions tracks water consumption and has an annual target to reduce water withdrawals from municipal supplies using 2022 as the base year. Independent water verification is listed alongside GHG verification on the company's CR portal. Water-saving devices (motion sensor faucets, efficient fixtures in bathrooms and cafeterias) have been installed since 2016 during real estate consolidation. The NIBW Superfund site involves ongoing groundwater remediation of TCE contamination from historical operations, with the final remedy in place since 2013 deemed protective of human health. Motorola Solutions manages cleanup on behalf of all participating companies. The company is not a water-intensive industry. Score of 5 reflects monitored water use with reduction measures and independent verification, tempered by the ongoing legacy groundwater contamination site which represents a material historical water pollution impact.

Motorola Solutions originally set a goal to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 95% by 2031 versus a 2021 baseline, described as aligned with SBTi methodology. In 2025, this target was materially weakened: revised to a 58.8% reduction in Scope 1+2 market-based emissions by 2034 versus a 2024 baseline. The DEF 14A FY2026 filing confirms the revision, citing 'updated guidance from the SBTi organization and changes to our business through acquisitions and outsourcing.' No SBTi-validated status is confirmed — knowesg.com notes 'SBTi: Not Committed.' There is no Scope 3 reduction target. The revision of a target to a less ambitious level with a new baseline and extended deadline is a greenwashing indicator that depresses this score. The target remains self-set and Scope 1+2 only, with no offset or removal credit strategy disclosed.

Motorola Solutions has an Executive Management ESG Governance Team co-chaired by two members of the Executive Committee, with a VP of Legal and ESG overseeing implementation. The Board's governance and nominating committee reviews ESG strategy and receives updates on significant ESG activities, per the 2025 TCFD Report. Annual CR Reports are published using GRI, SASB, and TCFD frameworks. A standalone TCFD report was published in May 2025. A Double Materiality Assessment aligned with ESRS was completed in 2024. Limited third-party assurance covers Scope 1+2 GHG and water. ISO 14001, 45001, 9001, and 27001 certifications are active. Score of 7 reflects strong governance structure and multi-framework disclosure, falling short of 8 because executive compensation is not confirmed linked to sustainability targets and there is no mission-locked structure or shareholder climate vote.

Start at 8. Two historical Superfund contamination sites are attributable to Motorola Solutions as legal successor: the North Indian Bend Wash (NIBW) site in Scottsdale, Arizona (EPA National Priorities List since 1983, TCE groundwater contamination) and the Motorola 52nd Street site in Phoenix (also EPA Superfund, VOC contamination). Motorola Solutions manages NIBW remediation on behalf of all participating companies and has invested heavily in cleanup. Soil remediation was complete by 2015; groundwater remediation is ongoing. The contamination originated from semiconductor manufacturing operations of the predecessor company (pre-2011). These represent confirmed historical environmental harm across two EPA Superfund sites. Deduct 1 for credible documented historical environmental contamination. Deduct 1 for the weakening of the headline climate target from 95% by 2031 to 58.8% by 2034 with a reset baseline — a pattern consistent with greenwashing by target dilution. No active regulatory fine, lobbying against climate policy, or greenwashing ruling found in the search period. No structural fossil-sector enablement applies to this company's business model.