Sustainable Technology Strategy Critical for Achieving Business Growth and ESG Performance, According to New Accenture Report
07 Juni 2022 - 8:59AM
Business Wire
CIOs must seize opportunity to advance
sustainability to deliver value, tangible outcomes and sustainable
impact across their organizations
As businesses set more ambitious environmental, social and
governance (ESG) goals, their sustainability and technology
strategies need to become more tightly aligned to gain competitive
advantage, financial value and a lasting positive impact on society
and the environment, according to new research from Accenture
(NYSE: ACN). However, only 7% of respondents have fully integrated
their business, technology and sustainability strategies today.
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As businesses set more ambitious ESG
goals, their sustainability and technology strategies need to
become more tightly aligned to gain competitive advantage,
financial value and a lasting positive impact on society and the
environment, according to new research from Accenture. (Photo:
Business Wire)
All 560 companies surveyed as part of the report, Uniting
Technology and Sustainability: How to Get Full Value From Your
Sustainable Technology Strategy, ranked technology as important or
very important for achieving their sustainability goals. While
companies see clear value in having an integrated strategy, they
cite a lack of solutions and standards (40%), complexity (33%) and
lack of awareness of unintended consequences of technology (20%) as
barriers to reaching their goals. This gap between intent and
action leads companies to make trade-offs between business and
sustainability goals – trade-offs that can be reduced or eliminated
with a holistic, sustainable technology strategy.
Chief Information Officers (CIOs) can play a critical role in
supporting their company’s overall transformation efforts and
should have a seat at the table on sustainability decisions. But
most do not. In fact, only 49% of CIOs are part of the leadership
team setting sustainability goals, and just 45% are assessed on
achieving these goals.
“Every business must be a sustainable business and technology is
a critical and fundamental enabler –from improving transparency and
traceability in global supply chains, to helping measure and reduce
carbon emissions,” said Sanjay Podder, Technology Sustainability
Innovation lead at Accenture. “It is no longer simply optional to
put sustainability at the core of how organizations operate. A
sustainable technology strategy – one that embeds sustainability in
technology, drives sustainability by technology, and scales
sustainability by engaging the ecosystem – will help companies
deliver 360° value and contribute to the achievement of their
broader sustainability goals.”
An effective sustainable technology strategy helps drive
business growth and ESG performance by delivering on three key
imperatives:
- Sustainability by technology: Using the power of
technology to enable and accelerate sustainability efforts across
the organization. Ninety-two percent of companies surveyed aim to
achieve net-zero targets by 2030, which will require deployment of
advanced technologies to measure, reduce and remove an
organization’s carbon footprint. Technology is also key for moving
toward responsible value chains; promoting sustainable choices for
customers; and building a sustainable organization. Of the
companies surveyed that successfully reduced emissions in
production and operations, 70% used artificial intelligence (AI) to
do it.
- Sustainability in technology: Protecting people and the
planet by making technology itself progressively more sustainable.
As more people go online and the use of technology increases, so do
the carbon emissions from IT. Embracing green software that is both
carbon efficient and carbon aware; building trustworthy systems
that incorporate privacy, fairness, transparency, robustness and
accessibility; and instituting the right governance mechanisms must
be prioritized. Only two of the 560 companies surveyed said they
consider energy efficiency at all stages of the software
development lifecycle, indicating considerable room for
improvement. The report identifies a robust green software
development framework that prioritizes material emissions areas
including the software development life cycle, as well as green
digital experience, cloud, edge, data centers, AI, distributed
ledger technology and infrastructure.
- Sustainability at scale: Pursuing breakthrough
innovation with ecosystem partners to develop radically different
and more sustainable ways of doing business in the future. No
organization can address global sustainability challenges at scale
on its own. Companies must work beyond the boundaries of their own
organizations to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs). Forty-three percent of companies surveyed are now
joining industry collaborations, alliances and advocacy groups
focused on eco-friendly technology.
Podder added, “Creating and implementing a comprehensive
sustainable technology strategy – one that uses technology to drive
sustainability at scale while also making technology itself more
sustainable – is now the core mission of the purpose-driven CIO.
The responsibility is huge, but the opportunity to drive new
sources of value and lead the way to a more sustainable future is
even bigger.”
Accenture is committed to sustainability across each of the
three imperatives, embedding sustainability in everything it does
and with everyone it works with. In fact, 95% percent of
Accenture’s applications are in the public cloud. A founding and
steering member of the Green Software Foundation, Accenture is helping to set standards and
catalyze action across industries. It has developed its own green
software framework, tools and best practices, and has trained more
than 70,000 of its developers on sustainable software engineering
practices. Accenture also collaborates with partners—from the
largest software and cloud companies to small, disruptive
innovators—to help clients achieve their sustainability objectives
and deliver outcomes.
Research Methodology The research was conducted in
September and October 2021 via a web survey. The sample comprised
of 560 CIOs, CTOs, chief sustainability officers, and those
directly reporting to them (directors, VPs) from companies with
more than US$1 billion revenue. The research spanned 12 countries
and 11 industries.
About Accenture Accenture is a global professional
services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and
security. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills
across more than 40 industries, we offer Strategy and Consulting,
Technology and Operations services and Accenture Song—all powered
by the world’s largest network of Advanced Technology and
Intelligent Operations centers. Our 699,000 people deliver on the
promise of technology and human ingenuity every day, serving
clients in more than 120 countries. We embrace the power of change
to create value and shared success for our clients, people,
shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at
accenture.com.
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Hannah Unkefer Accenture +1 206 839 2172
hannah.m.unkefer@accenture.com
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