Why data still reigns in sustainability

It’s been a year of talking about climate accountability in the private sector as businesses increasingly move centre stage on the debate over how to meet our climate ambitions. It was timely then that this summer Accenture released a new report, Uniting Technology and Sustainability: How to Get Full Value From Your Sustainable Technology Strategy. The premise of the report was one close to my heart; that just as the technology revolution required every company to become a technology company – in ways large and small – now every business needs to become sustainable. And of all 560 companies surveyed, 100% agreed that technology was “absolutely critical” to achieving their sustainability goals.

From sensors tracking how often you open the fridge at work to artificial intelligence keeping an eye on the welfare of chickens (yes, that’s most definitely a thing) it’s clear to me that tech is going to be a huge player in our new paradigm of green business.

As a tech-driven company we’ve long seen the power of data in helping businesses of all sizes to make that difficult transition towards sustainability. The report’s other big takeaways – that lack of solutions and standards (40%) and complexity (33%) are significant barriers to reaching their goals – similarly backs up the thesis we set out when we started Greener back in 2019.

Accenture’s report highlights how important businesses see tech not only within their organisation but as part of a wholesale change to entire industries. It’s a tool for moving towards more responsible value chains that can promote sustainable choices in our customers and build a greener supply chain.

Reewild is one example of how tech can improve transparency up and down the chain. When it comes to knowing the impact of individual products consumers and purchase managers alike rely heavily on brand promises. Reewild is helping to address transparency in food products; from the consumer side where you can find out how green that product really is to the business side where you track and improve your carbon footprint on one app.

This is just one potentially game changing example of using AI and data to tackle one of the most troubling industries – agrifood – to build a more sustainable food system.

And the value of data popped up in headlines again just the other week.

One of the big announcements in the first days of COP27 was Al Gore’s unveiling of what he hopes will be a critical new tool in the fight against climate change: an independent, global inventory of greenhouse gas emissions that can look at everything from countries down to individual mills. The Climate TRACE coalition wants to hold polluters and politicians accountable for the emissions they create, and to give decision makers the tools to make informed decisions based on data.

Closer to home SustainIt Solutions has been working since 2006 (!) to help businesses curb climate change. Based in Bristol, this family-run, independent global sustainability data consultancy works to harness the power and potential of data to make businesses not just more sustainable, but more profitable to boot. They work with clients in carbon-intensive industries to collect, track and utilise data to drive more efficient performance that doesn’t take a chunk out of the planet.

But as more people go online and the use of technology increases still further, so do the carbon emissions IT creates. We’ve seen this backlash around bitcoin mining for years now, but most people don’t connect that with what they do every day in the office or the carbon footprint of their mindless scrolling on social media (according to a recent study from JISC educational staff scrolling LinkedIn could be generating up to 2,792 metric tonnes of CO2e per year).

Put simply, technology cannot only be a tool to help you be more sustainable; it must itself be both carbon efficient and carbon aware.

Greenpixie knows this only too well. The pioneering company was set up with the goal of reducing the world’s digital carbon footprint through direct integration with cloud usage data. Businesses can use their Cloud NetZero tool to calculate detailed emissions data and then get actionable steps to reduce GHG emissions – all while making a huge saving on cloud spend.

We often talk about how important data is when setting out your sustainability strategy, and it rarely dips below the second suggestion for how to start. Knowing where you’re at is vital to charting where you’re going and keeping yourself and your organisation honest about the progress you’ve made.

But no business can address global sustainability challenges on their own; companies have to work outside the limits of their four walls if we’re going to see the kind of dramatic changes necessary. Don’t believe us? 43% of Accenture’s respondents are already joining industry collaborations, alliances and advocacy groups that are focused on eco-friendly technology.

If you’d like to learn more about what we’re doing as a platform to connect businesses with revolutionary solutions head back to our homepage.

Dan Yates is the Co-Founder and CEO of Greener