Quick Study: Sustainability and ESG

If your organization isn't thinking in terms of sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG) concepts, it better start soon. The ideas that emerged a decade ago as corporate social responsibility (CSR) -- once a “nice to have” are emerging as key criteria in how an enterprise is evaluated by potential employees, customers, investors, regulators, and suppliers/distributors.

Think of ESG as an umbrella covering varied and overlapping issues: environmental responsibility in how products as designed, sourced and disposed of; how employees are hired, managed and dismissed; how the organization supports non-profits' efforts; how the company is in the game for the long haul (sustainability); and how the enterprise tracks its overall ESG progress.

It's about being a better corporate citizen, locally and globally, while still growing profits.

Here are recent articles that highlight ESG trends:

8 Real Ways CIOs Can Drive Sustainability, Fight Climate Change

Chief information offers, chief data officers and other IT leaders can play a major part in helping organizations build out Environmental, Social and Governance programs. There are ways to make meaningful reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

New Tools Measure Green IT, Sustainability Success

How can IT leaders know if they’re tracking greenhouse gas emissions comprehensively? The introduction of AI and machine learning are painting a clearer picture.

Tech Vendors Target Enterprise ESG Reporting

Environmental, social, and governance reporting is growing in importance. Two big tech vendors, ServiceNow and Google Cloud, recently announced new ESG solutions designed to help organizations manage and measure their progress on ESG.

The Circular Economy for Enterprise Computing Gear is Evolving

CIOs can now find high-performance computing equipment, six-figure cost savings, warranties, support contracts, sustainability, and an answer to supply shortages in the circular economy. But will reused IT gear catch on?

Should Sustainability Be an IT Priority?

Everyone likes to talk about sustainable IT. But how many CIOs are actively including it as a priority? Data centers and networks are major energy consumers, and they are natural places to focus for companies that wish to lower their energy footprints as part of their environmental sustainability initiatives.

Innovate and Thrive with Data-Driven Sustainability

Embracing sustainable business practices is no longer optional. Data can help enterprise leaders power financial, social, and environmental change.

Why Sustainability Is the Next Priority for Enterprise Software

With expectations and demands rapidly evolving, we will see digitized sustainability solutions become the new normal, particularly for consumer goods manufacturers.

9 Ways to Reduce the Environmental Impact of Data

IT leaders can reduce the environmental impact of their data by considering a set of data sustainability principles, according to Gartner.

The Future of Resilient Supply Chains Is Circular

Amid massive supply chain disruptions, companies are increasingly prioritizing sustainability and circularity to eliminate ‘take, make, waste’ and support better agility. Leveraging global data standards ensures the reliability and quality of supplier data, and facilitates a real-time view into where products are, the journey they have taken and what’s available to sell.

How Cloud Can Drive Sustainable, Data-Driven Success

Chief information officers have been charged with driving financial, security, and agility benefits through cloud, but sustainability is quickly becoming another imperative for technology leaders, says Accenture.

Data Innovation in 2021: Supply Chain, Ethical AI, Data Pros in High Demand

In year two of the pandemic, enterprise data innovation pros put a focus on supply chain, ethical AI, automation, and more. Understanding the changing patterns of the business environment has made data and analytics innovations among the most important practices in the enterprise in 2021 and going forward into 2022.

C-Suite Changes to Come

The C-suite has expanded, but will the trend continue? Likely yes, but how depends on what your company values most. New job titles and the need to diversify the leadership team have enterprise reexamining the suite's makeup.