La-Z-Boy Incorporated, a trusted leader in the furniture industry, has been committed to sustainability and environmental stewardship for well over a decade.
What started as a deep commitment to doing right by the people and the planet has evolved into a structured and impactful sustainability journey. But getting there wasn’t easy.
As regulatory requirements for sustainability reporting grew, managing and organizing relevant data became an increasingly complex challenge.
We spoke with Amy Vernon, La-Z-Boy’s Director of Global Product Compliance and Sustainability, and Sonali Singh, Senior ESG & Sustainability Specialist, to learn how they addressed this challenge and the role Tracera played in their success.
Challenge: a lot of sustainability data, not enough transparency
With hundreds of locations worldwide, La-Z-Boy faced a significant challenge: ensuring data transparency and visibility across its complex operations.
The team recognized that understanding their sustainability numbers was essential — not just to meet reporting requirements, but to confidently drive emissions reductions and demonstrate their environmental impact.
However, building a structured sustainability reporting framework from scratch was no small task. As Amy recalls:
“When I started, we didn’t have a roadmap or a platform to collect data. It was a huge uphill battle, but we were determined to make progress.”
Tracking data across Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions was fragmented, with no centralized system to manage efforts. The company’s scale made the task even more daunting, with almost 200 manufacturing, distribution and retail sites combined, in North America alone.
On this, Amy explains:
” We had done a lot of sustainability work simply because as a company we knew it was the right thing to do, but when it came to tracking KPIs and understanding data, we were at ground level.”
And it is this absence of a streamlined system that made data collection particularly challenging.
“The first round of collecting Scope 3 data… it was a significant challenge,” said Amy.
There were knowledge gaps outside of the sustainability team and a general lack of understanding of relevant sustainability practices. Suppliers were being asked to provide data they had never reported before, which only added to the complexity.
The team faced the challenge of connecting all these moving parts to create a cohesive, efficient process. In the end, their plan of action centered around two key priorities:
- Raising sustainability awareness and improving communication about sustainability work and progress among stakeholders.
- Finding a platform to streamline data collection and reporting.
To address the first goal, the team introduced an internal initiative called Getting Curious About ESG. It is a great opportunity for exchanging information and creating awareness with monthly meetings and continuous communication around the company’s sustainability initiatives.
To hit the second goal, the team investigated approximately ten software solutions to support their sustainability reporting efforts. And this is how they discovered Tracera.
Solution: A comprehensive sustainability tool for easy data collection and confident reporting
Tracera was a green flag from the get-go. It stood out as the ideal solution for the sustainability challenges that La-Z-Boy Incorporated was facing.
Recommended through their internal network, it quickly became clear that Tracera offered a top-tier team and a forward-thinking vision for using AI to improve sustainability data reporting.
The platform was user-friendly, with intuitive dashboards and automated checks that saved time and streamlined processes. It provided a comprehensive system for collecting, managing, and reporting sustainability data, making it a perfect fit for the company’s needs.
Within a short period of time, the tool helped the team streamline data collection for GHG emissions. It automated previously inefficient manual processes and took sustainability reporting to a whole new efficiency level for the company.
Result: structured sustainability reporting and transparent data collection
What once felt like an uphill battle has now become a seamless and well-structured process. California’s climate disclosure laws are on the horizon, but the La-Z-Boy team is more prepared than ever.
The shift has been nothing short of transformative. Tracking GHG emissions—once an overwhelming challenge — is now a streamlined, data-driven process.
The team previously spent days manually categorizing data, such as supplier types or assigning emissions factors. With Tracera, they not only streamlined these tasks to just a few clicks but also achieved significant milestones:
- mapping out all suppliers in the supply chain
- identifying the highest-emitting suppliers
- automating the collection of mass-based data for purchases
- finding precise emission factors for accurate calculations
- getting clear summaries of emissions by supplier and purchase item.
“It’s gone from a project that felt overwhelming to something we can enjoy and manage quite easily. We used to spend three solid weeks on just Category 1 and 2 [in Scope 3],” says Amy.
Tracera automatically flags errors and anomalies in data so there is a high level of confidence in the numbers they report. Instead of chasing numbers and trying to find gaps, the team is now able to focus on actual sustainability work, driving initiatives that bring about structural change, both internally and externally.
La-Z-Boy advice for sustainability leaders
Going forward, the La-Z-Boy team plans to continue pushing their sustainability work far beyond compliance with laws and standards. As part of the company’s strategy, an emphasis will be placed on expanding decarbonization efforts across the supply chain, focus on water conservation in the regions with water scarcity, and further expansion of biodiversity projects.
“Our mission isn’t just about compliance with existing standards; it’s about taking care of the Earth and ensuring it’s in a good place for generations to come. As a sustainability leader, you need to do what’s right for your company and your environment — beyond reporting,” explains Amy.
But it’s no secret that regulations are here to stay and will only get stricter in the future so developing a plan of action and automating sustainability processes early on is the key to success, Sonali explains:
“Regulations are only going to increase… leaders should start thinking about how to automate processes. If you’re just starting off and need guidance, start with Tracera, it’s an all-in-one platform for just about all your sustainability needs.”
As La-Z-Boy continues to lead with purpose and vision, their story serves as an inspiration for others navigating the complex world of sustainability. Their advice is clear: stay proactive, embrace innovation, and always keep the bigger picture in mind.
The Tracera team is excited to see La-Z-Boy Incorporated grow as a global sustainability leader and looks forward to having a front-row seat in supporting them on their journey!
