This demands a robust strategy encompassing green IT, which provides environmentally sustainable computing, and applications in the form of digital technologies used by companies to perform daily tasks that can also actively help reduce greenhouse emissions. This includes, for example, augmented reality that can give remote support to workers on the other side of the globe without having to travel.
Last year, nations committed to the Glasgow Climate Pact, including strengthening targets by the end of this year to bolster resilience to climate change, cut greenhouse gas emissions and provide the finances to make these programs work. However, in many instances, when it comes to enterprises, net-zero commitments are running way ahead of their plans to meet them. Many businesses have no detailed strategy to outline how they will reach their net-zero goals.
The transition to a net-zero economy has passed its inflection point, and it is imperative enterprises put in place a climate-optimized business strategy that is regularly revisited to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Executives understand the clock is ticking. According to Gartner, 58% of executives believe that linking digital business with sustainability is a top priority. The challenge is where to start.
To help enterprises get on track with their IT that impacts green outcomes and green IT programs, Orange Business has created the Digital Green Flash Assessment to help enterprises understand their current sustainability maturity within the ICT arena.
Learned from experience
Orange has been working for over a decade on its own environmental strategy. Energy consumption measurement and reduction is one of our historical workflows for addressing climate change.
Despite the incredible growth in data flowing across our networks, we have set ourselves aggressive targets to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, ten years earlier than others in the sector. Our plan is to reduce the Group’s CO2 emissions by 30% by 2025. At the same time, we are looking to source 50% of electricity from renewable sources within the Group’s energy mix by the same date. We are also working to make our technologies, networks, and buildings greener as well as integrating the circular economy and eco-design in the development of products and services.
At Orange Business, we launched the Green Act program to become a benchmark among ICT players for a sustainable digital transformation. The Green Act also addresses environmental issues within our own organization and its ecosystem while being a tool for sustainable growth and development.
We have been running the Digital Green Flash Assessment internally to help us understand where we sit on the eco-barometer, so we know it works. We have learned from our own experiences on our journey towards being an eco-friendlier organization.
A framework for green maturity
As enterprises look to hit their green goals, there is increasing demand for IT environmental performance, both in terms of green IT and IT that supports green outcomes.
Green technology is designed to help mitigate the effects of human activity on the environment. These include intelligent solar tracking on self-sufficient buildings and electric vehicles and renewable production processes in manufacturing.
Technology is also an enabler in reducing energy consumption. Digital technology can support a greener environment by gathering real-time data, which is then managed and processed to gain visibility through insights and analytics. For instance, enterprises can monitor energy consumption for cooling systems and production lines using sensors and digital tools. Augmented reality can give remote support to customers across the globe without clocking up air miles and increasing carbon footprints.
The challenges of the decarbonization journey are often left at the door of corporate social responsibility (CSR) leaders and CIOs. In many cases, we have found that CSR is not aware of the challenges of IT infrastructure, while the CIO is not au fait with the enterprise’s green program. Our Digital Green Flash Assessment has been designed to enable both parties to collaborate and align their goals with business outcomes.
As part of the assessment, our experienced consultants undergo a detailed interview process to understand an enterprise’s digital services and carbon footprint and look at solutions that could contribute to greener performance. This can be followed by a comprehensive study such as lifecycle assessment, due diligence, a detailed strategy and a roadmap for a successful decarbonization journey. This includes setting measurable indicators to track green actions and ensuring that KPIs can be introduced and updated.
Consultants may also spot areas where Orange Business could collaborate with a customer to innovate digital platforms utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and IoT across industries such as agriculture, manufacturing, transport or energy.
Assessment and ambition
The future of business and the environment are interwoven. Orange Business is going green for and with our customers. Our Digital Green Flash Assessment will help you find out where you are on the green curve and get you a step closer to a cleaner, sustainable future.
Transform faster towards decarbonization today. For further details on the Digital Green Flash Assessment, click here.
Ivana is the Digital Consultant at Orange Business with a passion for exploring innovative technologies and the circular economy. She believes that digital technology can be a solution to help other sectors to de-carbonize and to achieve sustainability goals in a more effective way. In her spare time, Ivana enjoys time with her family and friends, traveling, hiking and growing her permaculture garden.