IT’s agile mindset is key to unlocking corporate sustainability

If big business is to hit ambitious sustainability targets, IT must embrace its role as an enabler, says Rainer Karcher, Chief Sustainability Officer, SustainableIT.org. Automation, data, and the ability to make granular management decisions can transform the workplace—if we can control energy consumption.

Sustainability, digital transformation and creating a new kind of business model

SustainableIT.org is a nonprofit organization led by technology executives. Its aim is to advance sustainability around the world through technology leadership. It is working to define sustainability transformation programs, author best practices and frameworks, set standards, provide training, and raise awareness for environmental and societal programs that make member organizations and the world sustainable for generations to come.

I had the pleasure to chat with Rainer about how sustainability across the IT function is crucial in creating new business models. This blog is the result of that talk.

Angelo Fienga: Rainer, tell us a little bit about your role.

Rainer Karcher: Fundamentally, I’m trying to globalize the topic of sustainability in IT and through IT. We’re not looking at sustainability as purely an energy management or carbon reduction exercise, but as an opportunity for accessibility, inclusion, and social engagement. There is also a human aspect.

AF: Could you outline the sustainability challenge facing IT?

RK: It’s clear that IT can be part of the problem, as well as part of the solution. If you look at artificial intelligence, for example, this will lead to a dramatic increase in data center energy consumption, with Chat GPT consuming 10 times more power than a Google search. Then there is the materiality of products: the number of smartphones and new electronic devices in the world, and the amount of e-waste generated.

On the other side, digitalization, automation, and AI can drive productivity gains. We can better understand data, make more informed choices, and we have more time to focus on areas of genuine impact.

AF: Sustainability is such a huge topic. How are you gaining momentum?

RK: We want to encourage grassroots initiatives, allow people to be heard, and look to globalize ideas.

Firstly, that’s not as difficult as it might sound; there are an increasing number of people wanting to be involved in sustainability, whatever their job function. Gen Z employees are not attracted to companies that are not serious about sustainability. They want to see real action, they want a voice, and they want to be involved. We want to be seen as an employer of choice for new talent.

Secondly, many organizations already have an active sustainability community, often in operations roles. Operations can be the best place to find practical ideas, from green coding principles in application development to improving accessibility. These are not ideas that could come from a central team.

AF: How can you measure progress?

RK: For senior management, sustainability performance is now included in bonus criteria. It’s also possible to measure carbon footprint per employee, and track social engagement and volunteering activity.

AF: This positions IT as enabler of sustainable progress. Is it changing the way IT is viewed?

RK: Certainly. From a sustainability perspective, when we all flexed to work from home and how wonderful that was, that was only possible because the IT team had put those building blocks in place.

I think we’re now in the second wave. Smart decision making requires accurate, relevant data. It is IT that is enabling the capture and consolidation of that data. I think the business understands how important that data can be, and the help IT can provide.

“IT has worked for many years in an agile manner. Culturally, agile is something IT teams are used to—having the mindset to test, assess, learn, and develop. If we are to address the huge variety of sustainability challenges, this approach will be necessary throughout the organization.” Rainer Karcher, Chief Sustainability Officer, SustainableIT.org

AF: What results are you seeing?

RK: For example, at one of our member organizations, we know that 70 percent of people are still working from home. This organization is having to be a lot smarter in how it manage office space. Cisco technology now allows you to look at energy efficiency by room, by building, managing the power into connected devices. By just making these simple changes our member has reduced energy use by 20 percent.

It is now looking at closing certain buildings on quiet days of the week, closing on-campus restaurants, lowering the temperature in unused rooms, and switching devices off standby. By making workplaces more flexible, we can help employees find the right environment to work. Cisco is a huge part of that.

Maybe physical spaces cannot be ‘agile’, but we can be a lot more intelligent in how we use buildings. Wi-Fi hotspots allow us to understand how a building is being used and IoT can make it easier to refine building management.

AF: And your thoughts on the value of your relationship with Cisco?

RK: The relationship with Cisco brings huge value in terms of innovation and creativity. I’m more than happy to be customer-zero in trying new ideas. It’s a two-way street. Our experience may help unlock the next round of innovation.

Know more about Cisco Sustainability here.