FEATURE : GREEN TECHNOLOGY
Keeping up with the Joneses concept has been around for many years – people want new and untouched – but its effects on business structures is , to some extent , responsible for an unsustainable and linear product economy . Steve Haskew , Head of Sustainability and Social
Leadership at Circular Computing , explains how to achieve net zero with remanufacturing at the heart of the solution .
Achieving net zero is now a top priority for a growing number of UK businesses , but the road to carbon neutrality is littered with obstacles , difficult decisions and the odd wrong turn . It ’ s not easy knowing what to do , and I have a lot of sympathy for business leaders who are trying to do the right thing while juggling countless competing demands for their time , intellect and investment .
Depending on the sector , achieving net zero might be relatively easy , or seemingly impossible . Some businesses will require only small operational or behavioural changes , while others will need to go through significant upheaval , investment and strategic realignment before they even get close .
Whichever end of that scale a business might be on , one thing is certain , if it uses IT in any way shape or form , it ’ s going to be extremely difficult to achieve net zero without addressing the footprint of its IT infrastructure . The good news is that it ’ s usually one of the easiest areas to address .
Time to roll up your sleeves
We live in the age of the net zero commitment . Almost two-thirds of the UK ’ s largest companies have pledged to reach net zero by 2050 , and 87 of the 100 largest listed companies have signed up to the BRC Roadmap to reach net zero by 2040 . Yet despite this pledge , only 29 % of UK businesses have a strategy in place to reach their net zero goal . Two-in-five ( 42 %) business leaders say they feel overwhelmed by the steps they need to take to reach that goal . Fewer still have plans to reduce their Scope 3 emissions .
While it ’ s naturally great that business leaders are facing up to the environmental challenges facing our society , there are signs that many , if not most , will fail to cross the net zero finish line in time . There ’ s a sense that too many people in leadership positions don ’ t know what to do and don ’ t know where to start .
Business leaders in this position , searching the horizon for a quick win that makes commercial as well as environmental sense should start by looking carefully at their IT estate .
Can you really go net zero without sustainable IT ?
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