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Rachael Kinsella – Editor-in-Chief
When it comes to sustainability, is the technology sector a green pioneer or greenwasher? asks a new sustainability in Technology report from iResearch Services
LONDON, UK, September 26, 2022 / / -- When it comes to sustainability, is the technology industry a green pioneer or greenwasher?
That's the main question asked in report from leading thought leadership specialist, .
After gathering the opinions of 550 technology executives in 11 countries in 2021, iResearch Services has interviewed industry leaders over the last 12 months for more in-depth commentary.
There is a noticeable difference between the importance CEOs give to sustainability (80%) and how content they are with the overall level of sustainability at their companies (65%), the first How Sustainable is the Technology Sector? report found. Rachael Kinsella, Editor in Chief at iResearch Services, says industry leaders believe there is still significant progress to be made.“There's a massive disconnect between how sustainable CEOs want to be; where their personal beliefs and ethos lie around sustainability; and how sustainable their company is.”
Alex Nicholson, Senior Director of Social Media and Impact at US software company Pega agrees more progress is needed.“I think there's a disconnect between the information that tech executives actually have, versus their true footprint. I think there is a knowledge gap relative to sustainability in the tech industry.”
However, she disagrees with 91% of technology professionals surveyed who suggest that some, if not all companies within the industry are guilty of greenwashing.
“I don't believe it's something that's common in the tech industry. I don't think that tech is more or less guilty [than any other industry] of using their sustainability story as part of their overall positive brand impact story. I think many companies in many industries use their sustainability programs and credentials as part of their positive perception strategy. Corporate responsibility is really important to businesses.
“It becomes greenwashing when you are overstating your cause or using information for false advertising or false marketing – and those things are protected, we have regulations against false advertising and a high level of scrutiny around these things. I can see that there's perceived greenwashing – but I think fundamentally everyone is telling their sustainability story.”
Russ Shaw CBE, Founder of Tech London Advocates and Global Tech Advocates, says the only way for companies to effectively address climate change is to see waste everywhere and implement strategies to reduce it, including effective ESG measurement.
“With companies like Net Purpose measuring the ESG outcomes of businesses, it is easier than ever to be transparent about quantitative performance on sustainability data. To force tech companies to take notice of the fact that sustainable practices have real business benefits, before making decisions investors should consider the wide array of relevant data. This includes factors like a company's energy usage, metric tonnes of waste generated and plastic usage when making decisions – all this information is now available.”
Alex says tech companies are best placed to take advantage of better technology to track emissions.“I use this analogy that sustainability managers or sustainability procurement managers have been asked to move a mountain, but only been given a shovel.
“Historically, the group has been fairly under-resourced. I spoke recently with a procurement manager for a very large CPG [consumer packaged goods] company and this person is still using spreadsheets to track all of their suppliers. When someone is using spreadsheets, they are unable to be as effective as a business needs them to meet their environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals.”
She is hopeful about the opportunity for tech to improve greater transparency of sustainability data:“We can see satellite technology 'up there' starting to provide really deep insight into what's happening 'down here'. There are really smart companies like Esri who provide valuable insights to organizations that impact their business operations. Where can you scale, where can you build, who are the people you're affecting?”
Emanuel Kolta of mobile industry specialist GSMA highlights the importance of consumer education on sustainability, and the technology industry's responsibility in this.
“There's a huge responsibility for the industry to educate the general public. The green agenda is a relatively new thing that is now gaining a lot of attention. Whereas with a financial product you can use a single metric to define which is better for you – and there are well-known methods you can use to choose between different products – with sustainability, we don't really have this educated consumer base yet, nor any well-accepted metrics. Helping the general public to understand that when they choose between products, they have the chance to choose the one with the lower environmental footprint.”
iResearch Services also provides thought leadership webcasts, podcasts and blogs on technology and sustainability. For more details, email or visit .
About iResearch Services
iResearch Services is a global data and insight-driven thought leadership agency. Research is at the heart of everything we do, with evidence-based research knowledge empowering brands to connect with their audiences to build digital trust and be respected as thought leaders. Thought leadership enables brands from all sectors to become powerful authorities, helping them to deliver influential, impactful, insight-based opinions. iResearch Services helps clients to unearth customer challenges and tackle topics to drive business and societal change. Our all-encompassing service, from research to thought leadership, to activation and lead generation strategies, makes us the thought leadership partner of choice for clients across technology, financial and professional services.
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