How Smarter Technology Can Help With Your Company’s Journey to Sustainability

The call to safeguard our planet is becoming louder than ever. Thankfully, we’re living in an era where sustainability tops the priority list not just for individuals, but for many organisations as well. And the technology they choose can make a huge difference when it comes to hitting sustainability targets.

Businesses already know that. In fact, in a recent survey, 100% of respondents stated that technology is a critical component1. With this in mind, you may be surprised to read that only 7% of companies have fully integrated their technology and sustainability strategies1.

Why are the statistics so low? What’s stopping businesses from embracing the latest technologies to help meet their sustainability goals? According to a report from Capgemini, 53% of organisations claim to lack the required expertise, while 49% are concerned about the difficulty of evaluating IT’s carbon footprint. And according to Accenture, one third (33%) of organisations are also put off by the complexity of solutions.

Despite that, it’s clear that companies are interested in combining technology and sustainability, with 53% of respondents1 in a survey from Accenture highlighting the ability to meet ESG targets as a benefit of implementing sustainable technology, with 49% highlighting talent recruitment1, and 48% highlighting increased revenues1.

So how can organisations implement initiatives to unify technology and sustainability strategies?

Consider Sustainability When Upgrading Your Tech Stack

For starters, it’s important to look for technology solutions with sustainability built in. That includes everything from manufacturing materials and processes to packaging and shipping. Working with a sustainable technology partner can help you to find such solutions, while also demonstrating your commitment to sustainability.

Not only does this help towards sustainability ambitions, it also helps to position your organisation as an environmentally conscious company that employees, customers and investors want to work with.

There are several things you should look for when picking a technology partner, including:

• A sustainable technology leader that walks the talk
• An IT innovator that solves both business and environmental challenges
• A trusted partner throughout the solution lifecycle
• An end-to-end solution provider that delivers hardware, software, and services

Lenovo is a great example of a technology provider that walks the talk, and our responsible use of materials and sustainable shipping options provide a solid foundation when it comes to aligning technology and sustainability goals.

For example, we use closed-loop PCC sourced from recycled end-of-life IT and electronics equipment in nearly 300 of our products*. Our products feature plastic-free packaging in select models, with 90% recycled and/or sustainable content and bio-based packaging**. We provide minimised material use and packaging waste with bulk packaging, and we also offer lower carbon emission modes of transport for IT equipment.

Think About Your Technology Usage

It’s vital to ask how you’re using technology, and where you can take steps to making your organisation more efficient. Sustainability actions encompass a wide spectrum, ranging from grand initiatives to the subtle, daily choices we make. Embracing technology solutions inherently designed with sustainability in mind reinforces your environmental dedication, offering a substantial impact on your IT carbon footprint.

Look for ENERGY STAR® rated devices and accessories to reduce your power consumption, and if you want to make a tangible, additional contribution, consider carbon offsetting your IT fleet to mitigate unavoidable emissions.

As-a-service models can also make a big difference, helping to avoid overprovisioning while optimising end-user device lifecycles and data centre consumption. Benefits for companies that embrace as-a-service solutions include the ability to pay only for what’s required, to conserve resources, and to gain the agility to scale up or down as necessary.

Your data centre is another area where you can cut emissions through smarter technology, with liquid cooling technology meeting the challenges of traditional data centre cooling head on, striking a better balance between performance and energy efficiency.

Lenovo’s Neptune direct water-cooling can boost server performance with 95% heat removal efficiency and up to 40% lower power consumption***. Lenovo TruScale Infrastructure-as-a-Service can manage power consumption and usage in the data centre, while our ThinkPad notebooks and ThinkCentre desktops feature ENERGY STAR® certification.

Embrace the Circular Economy

To truly maximise the value of goods and minimise their environmental impact, it’s critical that we embrace the circular economy. Businesses have a responsibility to society to reduce waste, and technology providers that embrace the circular economy can help organisations to meet these responsibilities.

There’s a lot to consider when it comes to the circular economy, from environmentally conscious manufacturing and energy-efficient consumption, to extended lifespans and responsible disposal. One thing remains constant, however, and that’s the focus on reducing the need for new raw materials and decreasing the volume of e-waste that ends up in landfill.

Flexible warranties can help when it comes to prolonging product lifespans, with fast, high-quality repair services helping businesses to keep costly downtime to a minimum, while benefiting from devices that perform better for longer.

Lenovo can help you to achieve full-lifecycle circularity, thanks to solutions such as TruScale Device as a Service (TruScale DaaS), which make it easy to better manage your fleet of end-user devices. Other solutions include Premier Support Plus, providing predictive alerts, quick onsite repairs, accidental damage protection, and extended battery warranty, while Asset Recovery Services (ARS) offer secure and responsible IT recycling, with refurbishment and recertification services that help your devices to last for longer.

Benefit from a more unified approach

By embracing a more unified approach when it comes to technology and sustainability, your organisation can make inroads into achieving business and environmental targets without compromise.

* Lenovo ESG Report FY 2022/23
** Lenovo Sustainability Solutions Checklist
*** Lenovo Internal Source, 2023