Building an Effective Circular Economy Through The Channel

Confronting Environmental Issues

Many businesses rely on digital technology, to be a more environmentally friendly option with the paperless system and more efficient procedures helping minimise mistakes, but it comes as no surprise that technology can have a negative impact on the environment too.

Matt Frank, Head of Cloud Modernisation at Ancoris said: “Technology can help organisations thrive, innovate, and be competitive. But, the impact of technology on the environment and its contribution to our carbon footprint is often overlooked in organisational strategy and planning. With that in mind, businesses need to firstly define technology sustainability without ‘Greenwashing’ what they do.”

Sustainability has become a buzzword which allows for the expansion of organisations providing services which support the transition into more environmentally friendly systems.

Robert Belgrave, CEO at Pax8 EMEA, explains: “It’s undeniable that technology manufacturing is a major issue when it comes to sustainability. Businesses within the channel need to consider their footprint within their daily functioning and make active choices to move towards a more circular economy.“

Managing Data with the Cloud

Servers are proving to have a damaging mark on the natural environment. In the current state of the growing use of technology, it becomes essential to adapt the size of servers, which is one of the biggest challenges for organisations. Cloud computing data centres deliver a cost- and energy-effective way to manage computing resources. Building data centres requires many components which are very costly and, in light of the recent supply chain crisis, beyond accessibility.

Matt Frank clarifies, “As businesses and individuals generate more data than ever before, the industry is faced with the challenge of mitigating the impact data centres and other IT infrastructure have on the environment. The world’s data centres reportedly now use more electricity than the UK’s total electricity consumption, to provide the power and cooling needed to maintain temperature-controlled environments that function 24/7.

The key factor in the technology industry’s reduction of CO2 emissions has been the consolidation of on-premise data centres into larger-scale Cloud-based facilities. Cloud

providers’ data centres leverage economies of scale to manage power consumption efficiently, optimise cooling, deploy power-efficient servers at scale, and maximise server utilisation. Organisations can take advantage of these benefits as well as the improved security, scalability and potential operational and cost efficiencies migrating to the Cloud brings.”

Robert Belgrave, completes “The cloud removes the negative externalities associated with traditional data centres and introduces renewable energy sources, all whilst bringing a range of internal benefits to an organisation. Channel partners must hold their vendors accountable for their sustainable efforts, and encourage transparency so that they are continually striving to improve environmentally friendly developments. Cloud computing directly solves the problem of the environmental challenges faced today and consequently steers businesses in the right direction as they venture on their sustainable journey.”

APIs & IoT, For a Sustainable Future?

Alex Drag, Director of Product Marketing at Gravitee explains: “IoT and event-driven APIs aren’t just for smartwatches, refrigerators, and other connected consumer experiences. They play a huge role in empowering sustainability-relevant companies and technologies.

“Additionally, IoT sensors at factories can capture, transmit, and measure the amount of CO2 that’s being emitted and stream that data in real-time to the business so that they can figure out how to either reduce emissions or compensate via programs and initiatives like carbon crediting and capture”.

Small Changes For a Big Impact

Organisations must look into restricting the utilisation of disposable products. Lee Curtis, Head of Channel, Beyond Encryption said, “We have evolved into a disposable society where convenience has trumped sustainability, with big money to be made from continuously offering bigger and better products that ultimately get discarded. However, mentalities are swiftly changing. We must aim to shape a market that is constantly hungry for more, into a sustainable community that values the wellbeing of the planet and actively fights throw-away culture, working together to undo the damage that has already been done.”

The IT sector offers many software designs to alleviate issues many organisations encounter from integrating new technology, security measures, and ESG management.

“Technology is going to be a key piece of investment for companies looking to decarbonise their operations. Businesses need to consider technology as a force for good, delivering sustainable software that assists organisations with the global Net Zero agenda.”

The Value of An ESG Strategy

A strong ESG proposition conveys an image of company growth that attracts more customers and investors. Naturally, by optimising the internal system of practices organisations get a better hold of productivity, better allocation of capital and cost reduction. Anna Mleczko, Senior Marketing Specialist at Future Processing, comments: “Disruptive technologies are increasingly being used to reevaluate corporate models and create entirely new solutions that shape the way companies do business and measure their ESG impact. For example, IoT is on hand to help to provide a cost-effective solution to the collection and

reporting of ESG data. Metrics can be measured and collated with precision using IoT sensors, including; carbon footprint, energy efficiency, water quality or usage and waste management. Not only does this technology ensure that the data collected is accurate and streamlined but it also helps track a business’s performance across key environmental, social and governance factors. “ Deborah Johnson, Head of Sustainability at Agilitas, adds: “The likes of health and safety, working conditions and information security are all keys to creating a positive and sustainable working environment, so Channel companies need to demonstrate their use of innovative technologies and how they are tracking ESG objectives. This includes supporting their partners and customers in their transitions to becoming greener, more sustainable and more efficient, all while embracing digital transformation.”

Looking To The Future

Many areas of business are turning towards greener solutions and as awareness increases, decision-makers are faced with options that benefit more than their initial business objectives.

Alex Drag, Director of Product Marketing at Gravitee, said: “Stepping out even further into personal decision-making, organisations and agencies could invest in CO2 emissions data and use APIs to build an application that can deliver up-to-date, accurate information to consumers who are wondering ‘How sustainable was the supply chain that produced this product that I’m considering buying?’” Gary Lintott, Chief Operating Officer at fu3e, concludes: “With flexibility in remote working further enhanced during the global pandemic, adaptive management reporting software such as fu3e reduces users’ need to travel to locations for progress inspections, with 150,000 metric tonnes of CO2 saved per year (per 5000 projects) due to fewer site inspections.”