28 June 2024
Rob Smith, CTO, Creative ITC
Enterprise technology is double-edged sword when it comes to meeting global sustainability goals. On one hand, it’s helping drive innovation to tackle climate change; but on the other, its own environmental impact shouldn’t be ignored. Enterprise IT is a huge generator of carbon emissions, already equalling half of emissions from aviation and shipping and set to rise to a concerning 14% of global carbon emissions by 2040.
Technology is an enterprise-wide component of business operations ripe for change and where leaders can make a tangible impact. In fact, digital transformation is such a vital part of global environmental goals that Gartner suggests 4 out of 5 CIOs will have sustainable IT performance metrics by 2027.
While most agree adopting more sustainable IT and business practices is an essential step towards a low carbon future, navigating this journey is no mean feat. Technology accounts for a significant proportion of scope 2 and 3 emissions in most industry sectors. For most organisations, supply chain decarbonization would have the greatest impact on their emissions - but surfacing data, delivering actionable insights and implementing change are nigh on impossible. IT infrastructure complexity, greenwashing, lack of standardization and CapEx investment requirements all hinder progress towards sustainable IT objectives.
Transforming IT culture
One of the biggest obstacles on the road to more sustainable IT is achieving buy-in and backing from business stakeholders – both financial and patronage to drive change. Sustainable IT extends beyond upgrading infrastructure and adopting new green technologies - what’s required is a fundamental mindset shift. Organisations need to foster a holistic approach encompassing corporate culture, operations and rethinking the way they approach every aspect of IT.
Navigating this minefield, there are a number of practical steps IT leaders can take to make a positive impact quickly and accelerate their organisation’s ESG journey.
Smart steps towards sustainable IT
1. Data centre decisions: Choosing the right location to host data and services is crucial for reducing your carbon footprint. According to McKinsey, smart data centre and cloud choices can halve an organisation’s carbon emissions. Seek out data centres powered by renewable energy and demonstrating industry-leading power usage effectiveness – the closer PUE value to 1, the more energy-efficient.
2. Cloud choices: Moving to the cloud has greater impact on sustainability aims than upgrading on-premise IT infrastructure. Public cloud providers are often criticised for poor environmental controls so consider smaller private cloud providers into account that utilise 100% renewable energy at source and employ advanced technologies like virtual machines, and containers to optimise efficiency.
3. Adopt Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS): Adopting a fully-managed IaaS model has an immediate impact on ESG metrics by shifting infrastructure responsibility, power consumption and carbon footprint considerations to the provider. This transition also reduces IT real estate, hardware refreshes, cooling costs and equipment waste.
4. Empower remote workers: Moving from traditional power-hungry PCs to more sustainable IT solutions significantly boosts an organisation’s environmental goals. Remote working immediately reduces commuting and energy consumption. Transferring to virtual desktops such as VDIPOD delivers high performance UX for even demanding design and visualisation apps, while reducing power usage by 81.7% and making better use of renewable energy at source.
5. End-user efficiency: End user computing contributes significantly to tech carbon emissions and electronic waste. Extending device lifespans and optimising numbers of shared items such as printers are both practical steps to reduce environmental impact. Firms could slash carbon emissions by 30%, according to McKinsey. Moving to thin clients or offering BYOD reduces power usage, hardware refreshes, running costs, emissions and waste, as well as providing flexibility.
6. Supply chain sustainability: Revising technology procurement policies is an effective way to reduce IT carbon emissions. Seek out providers with verified sustainability credentials such as carbon neutral status, and choose IT solutions powered by renewable energy sources. Promote more responsible supply chains with tools that enable real-time collaboration and secure data sharing.
Unlocking business value
Sustainable IT is both a challenge and an opportunity for innovation and leadership. The path forward involves embedding sustainable practices deeply into operational and strategic frameworks. This not only aligns with global regulatory expectations but also meets the increasing demand from all stakeholders.
Organisations leading the way in sustainable IT boost their reputation and stakeholder relationships. High achievers impact investment decisions, attract and retain the best talent and strengthen customer loyalty. The commercial benefits of strong ESG performance are also considerable. Organisations that implement sustainable working practices enjoy market-leading EBITDA and profitability.
In a world where environmental and social concerns are growing, sustainable technology is a strategic step for IT leaders to propel their organisation forward and set the stage for business growth and innovation.
