In today’s globalized and ecologically impoverished world, sustainability is no longer just a fad. Procurement experts all over the world are looking for better ways to properly balance environmental benefits with financial savings. For example, Gartner expects that by 2025, 50% of all CIOs will have performance metrics tied to the sustainability of the IT organization. Sustainable technology has the potential to bring together these two goals and challenge the traditional idea that the quest for more sustainability is a drag on a company’s finances.
But what do we mean when we’re talking about sustainable technology? What does it entail? Why is it important? And what can you do to drive forward sustainability and reap the most important benefits of sustainable technology? Read on and find out!
What is sustainable technology?
Sustainable technology is pretty much an umbrella term that describes different types of innovation that have a similar goal: trying to drastically reduce environmental and ecological risks and creating a sustainable product that considers the finiteness of natural resources and seeks to foster economic and social development.
Sustainable technology can be seen as a framework that can enable environmental, social and governance (ESG) outcomes for the enterprise and its customers, and sometimes even for entire industries. Examples of sustainable technology are:
- LED-based smart lighting technology
- Solar power
- Carbon capture and storage solutions and technologies
- Electric transport based on green energy sources (solar power, wind, water power)
Why is it important?
Sustainable technology is important for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it allows our societies and business environments to exist and develop without depleting the natural resources needed to live in the near and more distant future. Sustainable technology also prevents deterioration of ecosystems, contamination, and other negative environmental impacts through its use or production.
Sustainable technology is also good for business. It allows you to utilize resources in a more efficient fashion, helping you to boost your bottom line and retain productivity. Furthermore, when you utilize renewable and biodegradable materials, you’re indirectly protecting both the ecosystem and your business from the many negative effects of global climate change. And last but not least: climate change and social justice are topics that matter a lot to many of today’s millennials. Adopting sustainable technology increases your chances of attracting and retaining the cream of the crop in the scarce pool of young talented professionals.
What can you do to create a sustainable technology portfolio?
There are several ways in which you can drive forward the adoption of sustainable technology within your organization. Let us take a closer look at some of the exciting opportunities.
Harness the power of cloud services and technology
Cloud services and technology are powerful tools to achieve sustainability benefits in the economical, environmental and social realm. The elasticity of the cloud allows you to only use the computing resources you actually need, increasing utilization of shared resources and reducing environmental impacts. Cloud technology also gives you the opportunity to facilitate hybrid working, reducing the need for employees to commute on a daily basis and thereby reducing carbon emissions.
Optimize operations through AI technology
Artificial intelligence (AI) also has some serious green potential. For example, modern AI technology can be used to create models that show you how to run business and production processes at the lowest carbon footprint.
Ensure ethical sourcing through blockchain technology
A still relatively novel and maturing technology such as blockchain creates additional opportunities to protect, verify and trace transactions throughout the entire supply chain, allowing you to ensure ethical sourcing and accurately distinguish the origin of raw materials and products.
Recycle and reuse
Repairing and upgrading gives you the opportunity to prolong the lifespan of tech products, reducing the need for new devices. That’s good news on the sustainability front, since the assembly of computers, laptops and smartphones requires the extraction of raw materials (copper, tin, coltan), processes that are often not very eco-friendly. Using devices as long as possible also contributes to the reduction of waste.
Optimize or choose sustainable data centers
Data centers can also play a significant role in sustainability efforts. You can optimize data centers for energy efficiency by using virtualization and green energy sources. Leveraging the benefits of a technology such as the recovery of residual heat also allows you to take extra steps towards greater sustainability.
Conclusion: adopting sustainable technology helps your business and the world
Sustainability is of utmost importance for the future of the tech industry, mainly because of the significant impact it has on the environment. The production and disposal of tech products consumes a large amount of energy and resources, and the use of technology contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.
Sustainable technology allows companies to curb their ecological footprint and make serious work of socially responsible enterprising throughout the entire supply chain. Sustainable technology as a framework of digital solutions can enable environmental, social and governance (ESG) outcomes for the enterprise and its customers, but also lead to improved cost management through the optimized use of IT resources.
Would you like to reap the benefits of sustainable technology and devise a strategy that allows you to find out which technology investments will drive sustainability in enterprise and customer operation? In that case, Techspire is happy to help you. Would you like to find out more about our company and expertises?
No problem! Give us a call at +31 (0)85 06 07 656 or send an email to peter@techspire.nl.
