What is digital sustainability? It is an idea born out of an awareness of the limitations of current development models. While technology offers numerous advantages, including speed of communication, the free flow of data and ideas, and the possibility of creating more and more relationships, it is also true that modern civilization is impacting the environment much more severely than in the past. The awareness of the need for a change of course has created the idea of the digital sustainability, the digital sustainability, which ultimately points to models of digitization and sustainable development, precisely from the most innovative technologies.
How does digital sustainability work?
Ultimately, it is a discipline that involves the study of how the tools of the digital age can be designed, adapted and used to achieve specific sustainability goals, both local and global. But how can companies approach the topic of sustainable digitization?
Once again, this is first and foremost an argument from the change management: even more than in other cases, in fact, it is essential that the company shares the goals and the project and understands the need to build a more sustainable environment, starting with the technological resources used. The first step is that of a more conscious use of technologies, which also become tools of sustainability (think, trivially, of the concept of energy saving or of carbon neutral and how it is easier to achieve this by using Cloud technologies rather than servers, perhaps dated ones, placed in the enterprise).
In Italy there is also a way to measure digital sustainability, the Digital Sustainability Index, which holistically considers a number of parameters ranging from people’s awareness to the level of digitization of the area.
Why should companies consider digital sustainability?
Of course, the founding reason should be to care about the planet and to want to stem the risk of increasingly destructive changes, for example, climate change, which is becoming an increasingly real risk.
Another, collateral but relevant reason is to Building a relationship of trust with customers and potential customers. Sustainability issues are an increasingly relevant driver of choice in the habits of consumers, who increasingly prefer to rely on companies and services with which they share a point of view. Finally, the benefits strictly related to the innovative and economic aspect should not be underestimated.
Initiating or improving a sustainability-based business digitization process typically means adopting cutting-edge technology solutions that are more functional and efficient than older ones.
As always, greater efficiency also means greater sustainability from an economic point of view. Digital sustainability, in short, is not only a matter of protecting the environment and natural resources, but also an excellent tool for limit waste, reduce inefficiencies and eliminate bottlenecks. A “virtuous circle” that starts from within the company, with immediate spillovers and benefits, and extends to surrounding supply chains and systems, and eventually to the entire environment.
Digital sustainability in the enterprise
Many companies, especially abroad, have already begun the process of adopting corporate sustainability criteria. Some have already implemented tools for measuring and integrating processes and goals, e.g. SAP Sustainability Control Tower, which allow business and sustainability goals to be managed and monitored in one ecosystem. From the perspective of concrete actions, for example, fostering agile working enables reduce energy waste in terms of fuel consumption by employees, who can still perform their functions through the many remote work tools that technology provides.
Other, even more concrete examples include the use of Advanced recycling systems that enable reduce waste, but also smarter electricity consumption management systems that balance loads, reduce peaks, and contain overall energy use. For example, even a improving warehouse logistics can have positive effects in terms of sustainability: optimizing travel by reducing trips and routes, through tools such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, is an excellent example of digital sustainability, where technological tools simultaneously serve the business and the environment.
Today, major players in the digital industry are working to make the IT sector increasingly green by offering Cloud solutions. RegestaLAB can help you on the path to transforming your IT infrastructure to a greener solution.
