New InfoBrief research from IDC neatly identifies a critical issue in business sustainability today: the time and effort ‘costs’ of operational change and date reporting dominate the agenda, stopping boardrooms from seeing the flip-side benefits of accelerating towards net zero. For many, increasing sustainability across the organisation feels like an imposed burden. 

In these cases, the C-suite only sees the sustainability ‘stick’ rather than the ‘carrots’ it can deliver. It doesn’t focus on the positives, overlooking how boosting sustainability equals finding ways to do more with less, which leads to highly desirable outcomes around resource optimisation and reduced energy consumption.

By focusing on optimising networking infrastructure and reducing the energy consumption of data centres - both energy-hungry, particularly as their organisation scales AI, they become pivotal players in achieving the broader sustainability goals the leadership team sets.

Already, 44% of IT buyers require ICT providers to supply IT efficiency and sustainability credentials in their products, and one in every two Request for Proposals (RFPs) specifies stringent sustainability criteria if a company is to be considered for a contract. 

Because sustainability is - or shortly will be - a 'must do' to stay in business, meeting ESG goals has become the top priority for CEOs globally, driving investments in sustainable ICT solutions. 

Interestingly, when IDC carried out this InfoBrief research, there was little unprompted discussion about the operational, financial and reputational benefits of advancing the business’s sustainability. Potentially, this is at the root of the C-suite perception that sustainability is all ‘stick’. 

CIOs and IT departments have the power to turn these perceptions around. With the right IT strategy and infrastructure mix, they can deliver positive ‘carrots’ in the form of short-term ROI. The key is getting all stakeholders to raise their gaze beyond the immediate time and effort ‘costs’ of sustainability to see the operational and financial gains this effort will unlock. 

The latest IDC InfoBrief shares insight into how growing sustainability can be a business win-win. It can meet regulations and stakeholder expectations while increasing profitability and productivity, driving innovation, and reducing energy usage and costs. 

The big question at this point is: how do CIOs and IT departments make this a reality? 

The research breaks this process down into four clear and decisive steps to meet all ‘stick’ requirements as well as a crop of ‘carrot’ sustainability benefits:

1. Strategise 
   Develop a strategy that uses ICT to facilitate improved sustainability practices across the organisation – but do this with a keen eye on how these implementations can deliver more comprehensive business benefits.
   
   
2. Empower 
   Pivot the C-suite priorities to give CIOs the scope and resources to actively participate in building the organisation’s technology roadmaps for sustainability.
   
   
3. Partner 
   Work with an experienced ICT service provider who shares your commitment to carbon reduction to maximise the value of sustainability ICT investment and deployment.
   
   
4. Implement 
   Collaboratively formulate fine-tuned ICT solutions with your partner to optimise sustainability returns. These solutions should focus on energy efficiencies and reducing carbon emissions as widely as possible across the business and its value chain.

As these steps highlight, ICT solutions that reduce energy use and carbon impact while transforming operational efficiency are critical to a business’s sustainability success. However, accessing those solutions through an experienced, innovative, committed partner magnifies sustainability gains. 

CIOs can procure products and services that are sustainable by design, but to truly minimise their environmental impact, they need to understand where they are on their sustainability journey. Measuring the sustainability of their current IT infrastructure is essential because they can't manage what they can't measure but most IT departments need more tools to do this effectively. 

This makes it crucial to seek out an IT partner who delivers sustainable solutions and provides the tools to continuously monitor, measure and optimise energy and carbon usage across networks, data centres and endpoint devices in real time. 

We’re ready to be that partner, helping you to handle the sustainability ‘sticks’ and harvest the ‘carrots’. 

At BT, we’ve been on a climate action journey for over 30 years since setting our first carbon reduction target in 1992, and we’re committed to reaching net zero by 2031. What’s more, our credentials for partnership are established and globally recognised.

We currently hold an Advanced rating from EcoVadis, and for the eighth year running, we’re on the CDP ‘A List’, putting us in the top 2% of 13,000 reporting companies. Recently, we were also announced as being one of TIMEs’ most sustainable companies in the world.

We’ve embedded sustainability into our portfolio by design to further enhance our commitment. For example, our Network-as-a-Service platform has a carbon footprint 79% lower than our current MPLS network, and our Global Managed Voice platform has an 81% lower footprint.