From Commitments to Outcomes: Using Performance-Based Models to Deliver Real Decarbonization

Why do traditional CapEx approval processes so often stall climate projects, even when emissions targets are clear and urgent? How can performance-based contracts and leases shift risk, accelerate deployment, and turn decarbonization commitments into measurable outcomes?

As companies struggle to move from climate ambition to execution, outcome-based models are emerging as a powerful alternative to upfront capital investment. In this session, hear directly from corporate sustainability, finance, and facilities leaders who have implemented—or rigorously evaluated—performance-based approaches across projects such as LED lighting and controls, building energy management systems, HVAC and boiler electrification, industrial efficiency upgrades, and distributed energy resources tied to guaranteed performance outcomes. Learn how these models are structured, where they have delivered real emissions reductions, where they’ve fallen short, and how to position them internally so finance and procurement teams can confidently support them as credible tools for hitting near- and long-term climate targets.