The Unsung Heroes Driving Sustainability and Change

Sustainability has gone from a buzzword to a boardroom priority. But to the surprise of many, the unsung heroes driving this change are not in the environment department, but in the IT department.

As Chief Sustainability Officer, I see firsthand the transformation at the intersection of sustainability, innovation and culture in the technology industry, and the challenges and opportunities that come with it. I am convinced of the hidden role that IT must play in the twin agendas of digital transformation and decarbonization.

In my work, I find that colleagues in technical roles often don’t immediately see themselves or their jobs as central to pursuing sustainability goals. Many technical positions believe that sustainability is someone else’s job—the task of environmental departments or business leaders. People often think there is nothing they can do.

But what if the data centers that power the digital age became leaders in sustainability? What if IT teams held the key to decarbonization?

IT professionals and technology leaders have a huge opportunity to drive real impact. The software systems and infrastructure they manage are at the heart of the success or failure of today’s organizations’ sustainability efforts. Nonetheless, they are also critical for future resilience strategies. Recognizing this critical role is key to unlocking the potential for sustainable change driven by IT.

The urgency of adopting an IT-driven approach to sustainable development

IT practitioners are uniquely positioned to lead the sustainability of their organizations because the technologies they create and deploy have transformative potential.

Consider our reliance on data centers. These on-premises, hybrid and cloud giants of the digital era are also significant energy consumers. Without a sustainability strategy in place, data centers’ carbon footprints will eclipse the aviation industry in scale and scope. As we continue to generate more data, energy needs will only grow.

However, this challenge represents a significant opportunity for IT. through the use of advanced technology AImachine learning and data analysis, IT can help organizations better optimize energy use, reduce waste, and improve the overall efficiency of enterprise IT operations. For example, AI-driven sustainability dashboards such as NetApp’s BlueXP Sustainability Dashboard are already helping enterprises track their carbon emissions and set realistic and impactful emissions reduction targets.

As this example shows, deploying great technology solutions and prioritizing resiliency doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition. Instead, the call to action should be to fight for the “Goldilocks Zone”—just the right solution. We can have a transformative impact by enabling organizations to take a smarter approach to data, dramatically reduce their carbon footprint, transition to renewable energy and implement energy-efficient solutions that are critical to a sustainable IT future.

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Reigniting the circularity of IT procurement

However, sustainability is not just about energy efficiency. It also involves rethinking how we design, build and dispose of our technology.

In addition to energy, another important aspect of IT-driven sustainability is the implementation of circular business models. The circular economy is a system of resource reuse, recycling and repurposing that minimizes waste and the environmental footprint of products. The traditional linear “get, make, dispose” model is no longer feasible in a world with limited resources.

This challenge once again presents an opportunity: to design and build the digital infrastructure of the future by prioritizing innovation and product development goals aimed at reducing, reusing and recycling materials throughout the product life cycle.

The tech industry has made great strides in this area over the years, as “environmental design” is not a new concept. Advances in hardware design are now focused on modularity and recyclability, ensuring devices can be easily upgraded, repaired and recycled. This shift reduces the environmental impact of e-waste and creates new business opportunities in the circular economy.

But companies can do more. Organizations can adopt circularity as an engineering design principle and take action to integrate it into product operations. For example, NetApp prioritizes designing products to last longer, uses recycled materials, and implements take-back programs to ensure our products are disposed of and recycled responsibly. This strategy supports a more sustainable ecosystem and invests in the growing demand for responsible technology.

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Mapping the sustainability and IT agenda

The intersection of IT and sustainability opens up endless possibilities for organizations committed to meeting and exceeding their sustainability goals. IT professionals can impact their organizations and lead the way in building a sustainable future by:

However, launching a sustainable innovation agenda in IT requires not only technology but also a change in mindset. We must recognize that sustainability is not a separate program or compliance task, but an opportunity for IT to create value for the business, increase resiliency, and achieve long-term success. Sustainability-driven IT decisions today will impact sustainability now and for generations to come.

IT professionals are no strangers to transformation. Now, by becoming sustainability leaders, they have a unique opportunity to drive real-world change—not just for their companies, but for the planet.

Nicola Acutt is Chief Sustainability Officer at NetApp, Inc. and has more than 20 years of experience in business, technology and sustainability. Previously, she served as Chief Sustainability Officer at VMware, leading a team of 30 people. Nicola has worked in business, government, academia and non-profit organizations, including positions at Presidio Graduate School and Common Ground Consulting. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. from the University of East Anglia.