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Sustainability Is a Top Business Priority for Many Organizations

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Creating Business Value Through Sustainability

Business leaders in Europe are faced with mounting pressures: Investors, customers, employees, and regulators are demanding that they operate their businesses in a more responsible and sustainable manner. They are not only being held accountable for their company’s financial performance, but increasingly are also expected to minimize the impact of their business operations on the environment and have a positive impact on society.

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A logo with green leaves, light bulb, and recycling symbol, indicating sustainability readiness.

IDC’s European Telecom research helps customers:

  • Understand the regulatory landscape on sustainability in EMEA and the implications for the tech industry
  • Understand the competitive environment in EMEA for sustainable and sustainability-enabling IT products and services.
  • Understand IT buyer demand and vendor perception in EMEA countries and industries for sustainability-related IT products and services and for investment plans into sustainability initiatives.
  • Demonstrate the sustainability/ESG related business and economic impact that vendor solutions have.
Sustainable Strategies and Technologies

IDC’s Sustainability Framework

IDC’s Sustainability Framework differentiates 3 key sustainability impact zones, identifies the most important sustainability domains, as perceived by the demand side; and defines individual solutions as they relate to specific elements of information and communication technology:

  • Sustainable ICT — focusing on the sustainability-related footprint of ICT
  • ICT Solutions for Sustainability — enabling ICT solutions that help organizations transform their operations and achieve their sustainability-related objectives the competitive environment in EMEA for sustainable and sustainability-enabling IT products and services.
  • ICT Services for the Sustainable Enterprise — helping organizations transform their business models, facilitate organizational and cultural alignment, achieve operational excellence, and master investor-grade ESG reporting

Sustainable Strategies and Technologies Diagram Description

A circular diagram depicting sustainable strategies and technologies, divided into three sections: Sustainable ICT, ICT for Sustainability, and Services for Sustainable Enterprise. Within Sustainable ICT you can have Circular economy principles, Energy-efficient ICT infrastructure, Sustainable infrastructure delivery models, Financial instruments for decarbonisation, and Sustainable software life-cycle; within ICT for Sustainability you have Energy-efficient operations, Digital supply chain and logistics, Natural resources management, Carbon footprint and ESG data management, Social sustainability, and Sustainable manufacturing; within Services for Sustainable Enterprise you have Sustainability and ESG consulting services, IT advisory services, ESG implementation and integration, ESG managed services, and OT and engineering services.

Sustainability Market Differentiation

IDC helps organizations:

  • Understand the key trends, competitive landscape and market opportunities for sustainable and sustainability-enabling IT products and services through forecasts, buyer perception data, and vendor assessments
  • Gain insight on IT buyer demand and vendor perception through end-user surveys that focus on different industries, personas/functions, and geographies
  • Create effective messaging and sales enablement around the sustainability related impact of their technologies and professional services, e.g., through ESG business value studies and economic impact models/functions, and geographies
  • Assess maturity levels of organizational approaches and IT solutions related to sustainable transformation.
  • Create effective sustainable business, IT and go-to-market strategies to address a changing regulatory environment, customer and consumer demand, and investor pressure.

Sustainability Market Differentiation Diagram Description

A diagram showing a spectrum from "shortsighted" organisations, where risk management, its mitigation and ESG compliance are a cost; to "visionary" organisations, where sustainable digital transformation is a business opportunity for growth and competitive differentiation.

Related Resources

For more examples of actionable insights from IDC analysts visit our Resource Center.

IDC’s European Sustainability Offerings

Learn more about Sustainability from our experts.

Research Programs

IDC’s European Sustainability research offers thought leadership and advice on key challenges organizations face when building business strategies and implementing technologies.

Research includes:

Learn more about IDC’s European Sustainability research

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IDG Environmental Policy

International Data Group is committed to protecting the environment, the health and safety of our employees, and the community in which we conduct our business. It is our policy to seek continual improvement throughout our business operations to lessen our impact on the local and global environment. We are committed to environmental excellence, pollution prevention and to purchasing products that reduce the use of natural resources.

We fulfill this mission by a commitment to:

  • Encouraging all partners to share in our mission
  • Understanding environmental issues and sharing information with our partners
  • Recognizing that fiscal responsibility is essential to our environmental future
  • Instilling environmental responsibility as a corporate value
  • Developing innovative and flexible solutions to bring about change
  • Using our platforms and position in the IT industry to promote sustainability
  • Minimize air travel to help reduce our impact on the environment
  • Minimize use of materials and energy consumption in our offices
  • Create a working environment that efficiently uses our office space
  • Develop and maintain a hybrid working model that benefits both our employees and business partners
  • Encourage employees to measure, minimize and collaborate on reducing energy consumption at home and in the office
  • Engaging employees and promoting active participation in environmental and sustainability initiatives

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