In 2015, the Paris Agreement was signed, a historic global agreement between 196 nations and parties that recognizes the dangers posed by climate change. But despite all the awareness efforts, the amount of carbon emissions being released into the atmosphere is increasing. According to research from Australia’s CSIRO, the world has less than seven years to cut carbon emissions by half and keep the impact of climate change to a relative minimum.
The IT function within organizations can drive efficiencies that result in lower carbon emissions by the company as a whole. Since employees expect to see their organizations show leadership in this way, leveraging IT to support sustainability can also improve employee morale, engagement, and retention.
More broadly, countries like Australia, which have access to the kind of technologies and capabilities to drive efficiency and the wealth to invest in them, need to be more proactive in promoting emissions reductions. Companies in countries like Australia that take a genuine leadership position in this space will benefit commercially and reputationally.
Companies need to do better
Despite the awareness that the world is on borrowed time to address the dangers posed by climate change, progress in implementing solutions has been slow. A major part of the problem is that many of the efforts that companies are committing to are questionable in terms of their impact.
Many organizations, for example, commit to planting trees in an effort to “offset” their carbon footprint by increasing the amount of vegetation available to capture carbon. This method, however, has been widely criticized.
Other companies use a carbon credit market, purchasing “credits” from low-polluting companies to account for their increased emissions. But this is also highly controversial, and in Australia, whistleblowers have called it an absolute “farce.”
BONUS: Companies should have a detailed environmental policy to improve sustainability.
Since these are such common approaches to the “E” in environmental and social governance, there has been growing skepticism that organizations are doing enough for the environment. The concept of “greenwashing,” whereby companies spend more effort and money promoting themselves as environmentally friendly than minimizing their impact on the environment, has become a common accusation.
What employees want
Study after study shows that there are real benefits to organizations that truly combat their environmental impact. At the recent Gartner ReimagineHR Conference in Sydney, Aaron McEwan, vice president of advisory in Gartner’s HR practice, said: “There is a huge opportunity today for HR leaders to build a stronger sustainability culture and realize these benefits. of commitment”.
McEwan cited a study that found that 84% of employees believe their organization lacks a strong sustainability culture, and 67% of employees rate sustainability as “very important.” McEwan added that it was important for organizations to recognize the grassroots nature that needs to happen within ESG, and organizations that can do this will have a happier and more engaged workforce.
“When employees can see, understand and contribute to their organization’s sustainability goals, HR leaders and managers will reap the benefits of greater engagement and organizations will be closer to achieving their goals,” McEwan said at the event. .
For IT, there is a real opportunity to be a champion of sustainability and leading organizations will enable IT professionals to make this a priority.
How IT can drive sustainability
IT is often considered to be one of the major carbon-emitting lines of business, but in reality it is not. Research suggests that the technology only accounts for 4% to 6% of electricity production, and that electricity is just one of many sources of carbon emissions.
SEE: Leading organizations are implementing a variety of tactics to achieve lower carbon footprints.
That’s not to say that IT doesn’t have a carbon footprint, but many organizations will find that by relying on technology, the efficiencies found will also reduce the overall footprint. Some examples of this include:
- Implementation of energy efficient infrastructure: Companies should consider leveraging virtualization, consolidating servers, and optimizing cooling systems, while also seeking renewable energy sources, to decrease overall environmental impact.
- Develop company-wide green IT policies: Companies should develop and enforce green IT policies that turn off devices when not in use, require the use of energy-saving settings, and follow responsible e-waste disposal practices.
- Enabling remote work and teleworking: Improving remote work experiences reduces the need for employees to commute to the office, which not only reduces the organization’s carbon footprint but also improves employees’ work-life balance.
- Sustainable IoT implementation: Internet of Things devices can monitor and control energy-intensive systems in real time, as well as optimize logistics and supply chain operations, reducing the carbon footprint associated with transportation and improving overall efficiency.
- Supply chain and procurement optimization: The IT team is ideally positioned to work with procurement teams to select green vendors and suppliers and create applications and software that improve efficiency in these processes.
- Enforce employee awareness and training: The IT team is able to conduct training sessions to educate employees about the importance of sustainability and how they can contribute to green practices.
With the increasing use of artificial intelligence, IoT, 5G and other advanced technologies, there is an opportunity for IT teams to pursue new innovations that further drive a lower carbon footprint across all lines of business.
The technology is a relatively efficient and low-impact source of emissions. Therefore, the more IT teams can be empowered to develop innovative solutions that shift the operational burden to them, the better organizations will be able to reduce their carbon footprint. This can then be achieved without relying on ESG “gimmicks” such as carbon credits, which both staff and customers will see as “greenwashing” the problem.
