How IT Department Supports Corporate Sustainability Strategies

Are you familiar with the concept of sustainability? It’s likely that you are. But have you connected your IT Department organization’s strategies, activities, and goals to the broader corporate sustainability strategies and targets? If your IT organization has already aligned its IT strategies and objectives with corporate sustainability goals and aspirations, that’s great.

But if it has not, and you want to know what your IT department organization should be doing in this regard, this blog provides a brief introduction to sustainability, why it is important for IT service management (ITSM) professionals, and how your IT organization can support the business in meeting the requirements of corporate sustainability strategies.

Sustainability has many forms

If you have been working in IT department for a long time, you may recall the “green IT” trend from the past. Sustainability is different, however, because, unlike green IT, it focuses on business-level sustainability rather than just making the IT organization more environmentally friendly and potentially reducing costs in the process.

The terminology used by your organization might also vary. According to the ITIL 4: Sustainability in Digital and IT department publication, sustainability is defined as:

‘A business approach focused on creating long-term value for society and other stakeholders, by addressing the risks and opportunities associated with economic, environmental, and social developments.’

There are two three-letter acronyms that are commonly used to address sustainability and related issues:

1. Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) – a corporate approach that encompasses social goals in addition to the traditional focus on maximizing profits.
2. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – “… how organizations ensure that they operate in a sustainable way; how they behave towards their employees and customers; how they select partners and suppliers; and the impact of their activities on the environment and the communities of their ecosystems” according to the ITIL 4 Sustainability in Digital and IT publication.

IT Department: Why organizations are focusing on sustainability

On the one hand, promoting sustainability is the responsible thing to do for the benefit of the world we and future generations will live in, and corporate sustainability strategies and goals aim to improve business practices in this regard. Specifically, they seek to address global issues such as:

• Water cleanliness
• Atmosphere damage
• Fossil fuel dependency
• Species extinction

Importantly, before it is too late to address or at least mitigate the environmental damage caused over the past century.

But from a practical business perspective, sustainability is about more than just creating a better world – it can also bring tangible benefits. For example:

“The World Bank and Bank of America found that businesses with better environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria produced three times higher returns than their peers and that organizations with ESG principles in their strategy can drive profitable growth that positively impacts the world, mitigates risks, and attracts the best talent.”

Source: AXELOS, “ITIL 4: Sustainability in Digital and IT” (2021)

The upside of corporate sustainability strategies

Therefore, sustainability is good for business, not just businesses doing good, and a corporate focus on and investment in sustainability can bring a range of benefits. These benefits include:

• Increased sales due to improved public perception and reputation for the organization and its brand(s), as more informed customers become increasingly concerned about the sourcing and delivery of the products and services they purchase.
• Reduced operational and sales costs due to sustainability initiatives that improve the delivery of products and services.
• The recruitment and retention of employees can be improved by considering their personal values, similar to how customers make decisions about where to shop.
• There has been an increase in investment in sustainability through the use of ethical investment strategies and decisions made by individuals and investment companies.

Corporate sustainability may no longer be solely a decision based on the benefits it brings to the company. In some cases, it may be required by regulations, especially for organizations in regulated industries. Additionally, it is likely that there will be further government legislation on sustainability in the future.

The impact of corporate sustainability on IT Department strategies

To meet sustainability and compliance requirements, the entire lifecycle of product and service delivery must be considered, including the sustainability practices of the corporate IT organization and any third-party technology suppliers. This means that the IT organization will ultimately need to align with the business’s sustainability strategies and goals.

For most professionals in the field of IT service management, sustainability is a necessary focus for their organization. The IT organization will be responsible for incorporating sustainability principles into its operations and service delivery in order to support the overall sustainability goals of the company. The question is not whether or not to focus on sustainability, but rather whether the IT organization proactively begins the process of integrating sustainability practices or if it will eventually be required to do so under the added pressure and expense of compliance.

It is likely that your IT organization will eventually need to address corporate sustainability goals. Therefore, it is important to start planning for sustainability as soon as possible. What is your IT organization doing to meet these sustainability objectives? It may be a matter of “when” rather than “if,” so it is best to be prepared in advance.

Here at CourseMonster, we know how hard it may be to find the right time and funds for training. We provide effective training programs that enable you to select the training option that best meets the demands of your company.

For more information, please get in touch with one of our course advisers today or contact us at training@coursemonster.com