Sustainability is a worldwide issue and so the technology industry should take a global approach to collaboration and policymakers – as long as it is backed by action.

That’s the view stated by three industry commentators in a new report, How Sustainable is the Technology Sector? Part Two, from international thought leadership consultancy, iResearch Services.

Emanuel Kolta, Senior Analyst with mobile market information provider GSMA Intelligence, says, “The whole topic of sustainability is global. And regulating these companies at a country level can be ineffective in many ways. So, if it’s a global issue, we have to speak about this globally. By its nature, we are using country-level regulations. We need to sit down at a global level – obviously, this is difficult and very political. We need to utilise bodies like the ITU and the United Nations (UN).”

While Gurpreet Purewal, Vice President Sales – Thought Leadership at iResearch Services, says, “The more the tech industry has influence across the political agenda and policymaking, working with each of the industry groups and bodies, they’re going to be fundamental to transform and make sure that we begin to reduce our emissions, improve societal benefits, and effect positive change. So, I’m hugely optimistic about what technology can do.”

Russ Shaw CBE, founder of private sector-led leadership groups, Tech London and Global Tech Advocates, says discussions on sustainability must be matched by action.

“While lobbying is vital in raising awareness of the issues and working in partnership to address them, these conversations need to be matched with sufficient action.”

“We need to champion our green tech ecosystem and we require assistance from a variety of key stakeholders. Governments have a crucial role to play in supporting businesses committed to tackling the colossal challenge of climate change – this could include support for R&D funding and tax credits for ClimateTech and CleanTech, as well as the continuation of schemes [like the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) in the UK] to encourage early-stage investment. At the same time, we also need businesses and investors to take responsibility for driving ESG agendas within their own organisations.”

How Sustainable is the Technology Sector? Part Two features the views of sustainability specialists, consultants, technology leaders and decision-makers about the key challenges and opportunities presented by sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG).

It is a follow-up report to How Sustainable is the Technology Sector? Part One, which surveys 550 technology executives in 11 countries.  The report, published in mid-2022 concludes, “There is an undeniable opportunity for technology to be a force for good and create sustainable change, through dedicated industry partnerships and sector-wide collaborations. We see enormous potential for technology to help create more accessible and inclusive workplaces across sectors and geographies, but only if the right investment, infrastructure and employees are in place to rise to the challenge and implement the changes needed – the clock started ticking some time ago, so the pressure is on.”

iResearch Services works with businesses of all sizes around the world to provide bespoke solutions to leverage high-quality consumer insights. For more information, email [email protected] or visit http://www.iresearchservices.com.