3 minute read
Data and technology enabling sustainable transformation
Today, organizations are facing a wide range of demands from customers, employees, and regulators regarding sustainability. As competition gets fiercer and loyalty becomes both tougher to build and easier to lose, many are downright begging for ways to turn their sustainability ambition into tangible action – preferably in a way that would not accumulate too much overhead.
Vicky Bunyard, IBM’s Technical Director, North, Central & Eastern Europe, points out that while corporate sustainability does have an increasing impact on people’s daily decisions about issues such as purchasing and employment, the good news is that when addressed properly, intentional investment in sustainability can very well provide improved returns for business operations as well.
Advertisement
“Many are struggling with sustainability because it is viewed as a cost and they do not know where to start,” Bunyard explains. “That is, however, changing. An increasing number of companies already see that when handled properly, a lighter sustainability footprint can become a significant revenue enabler.”
Data as the driver for change
Studies carried out by IBM among C-suite representatives across the globe also show that consumers in general do not trust what organizations say about their sustainability efforts. According to Vicky Bunyard, this calls for making sustainability a lot more visible issue than what it is today.
“Without good data, sustainability can’t be made visible and therefore not actionable. Good data, on the other hand, requires sufficient technology and ability to process and use it in a way that brings in the best possible results.”
While digital tools can today produce massive amounts of data regarding just about any function in any organization, filtering and analyzing it in a way that helps make right decisions is still extremely complex. That makes even tasks that could be handled in a quite straightforward manner – such as ESG reporting – an almost unbearable effort without the right technology.
Bunyard calls for organizations to get real with the data, and to get real with the technology. That way, sustainability objectives become within reach – and business operations can be made sustainable over time.
That begins with making the most of the available data – with working out what can be done with it to get the wheels rolling. Organizations must assume a more holistic approach to how they think about data and technology and start with small things to turn ambition into action.
“You must use the data you do have to get the insight that allows making effective decisions,” Vicky Bunyard emphasizes. “Getting control of the data, using it efficiently and making the small changes is how you can build trust and transparency – and take both your sustainability efforts and your business profitability further.” |
Read more at www.ibm.com/sustainability
Turning sustainability ambition into action: See how IBM can help you operationalize sustainability goals & accelerate your sustainability journey. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5SWwBjlh9A
Sustainability Solutions at IBM: Discover & learn more about the solutions helping our customers turn sustainability ambition into action. https://www.ibm.com/sustainability
IBM Impact: Learn more about IBM’s mission to make a lasting, positive impact on the world of business ethics, our environment, and the communities in which we work and live. https://www.ibm.com/impact
