In Short : In order for an organization’s sustainability initiatives to succeed, sustainability can’t be just a label or the initiative of a single department within the business
In Detail : Sustainability is increasingly important—not just for our planet but for businesses and the customers they serve. Operating a business in an environmentally sustainable and socially responsible manner offers many benefits, including cost reduction through sustainable IT practices that help businesses reduce their energy consumption, waste and other costs; minimize environmental impact, which allows businesses to protect the planet and mitigate the effects of climate change; attract environmentally conscious customers; and achieve the environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals of all stakeholders—staff, board, customers and community.
In order for an organization’s sustainability initiatives to succeed, sustainability can’t be just a label or the initiative of a single department within the business. Sustainability must be woven throughout operations and a strategic priority for the organization. This means businesses must set specific sustainability goals and integrate sustainability into their culture and training.
IT plays a significant role in this mission.
Best Practices For Sustainable IT
“Sustainability” generally refers to a societal goal of supporting ecological balance and meeting current needs without negatively impacting or depleting natural resources. Here, the term “sustainability” is generally used in the context of an organization and its ecosystem. “Sustainable development” refers to the processes, initiatives and pathways used to achieve sustainability at the global level.
For IT specifically, several best practices have emerged to promote environmental, social and governance sustainability. Environmental sustainability in IT, the present article’s focus, is on reducing the environmental impact of IT operations. This includes things like having an environmentally-focused approach to the manufacture and disposal of technology assets; operating energy-efficient hardware and software; using virtualization to consolidate servers and reduce energy consumption; and turning to cloud computing to reduce reliance on physical servers.
Social sustainability in IT is about ensuring that technology is used to benefit society. This includes things like the inclusion of under-served communities. For example, this may take the form of providing access to technology and supporting the development of local communities. Finally, governance sustainability in IT is about adherence to laws and regulations. This includes things transparency in areas such as protecting the privacy and security of user data, along with the responsible and ethical development and use of artificial intelligence, also referred to as “ethical AI.”