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Sustainability remains a channel priority

Research from Agilitas shows there has been an increase in the number of those across the industry viewing reducing carbon emissions as a priority

Fires, floods and rising annual temperatures continue to remind the channel of the consequences of climate change.

After a flurry of activity and pledges towards carbon neutral targets, the past couple of years have seen sustainability go slightly off the boil, but the latest Sustainability report from Agilitas IT Solutions shows it’s climbed back up the agenda.

When channel leaders were asked to rank sustainability’s importance out of 10, the score for 2014 came in at seven. That’s lower than the high of 7.8 seen in 2021, but a recovery after it dipped in 2022 and 2023.

The natural assumption would be that the ebbs and flows of attitudes towards sustainability are linked to the economic situation, but there are signs that there are differences based on management level.

Agilitas found only 8% of junior managers viewed sustainability as a high priority compared with over half of CEOs and business owners. Those in senior roles were also more engaged with driving programmes and initiatives.

The report also uncovered another trend, with it emerging that the channel is shifting from offsetting carbon to efforts that are designed to reduce it effectively, to cut both carbon and costs.

Those reduction strategies included concentrating on energy efficiency, streamlining business processes, increasing hybrid working and making sure they were working with suppliers that also prioritised the issue.

Carbon reduction

There’s still some way to go, with the survey also revealing that although 37% of respondents are looking to embark on more carbon reduction activities this year, more than a quarter are not prioritising currently.

Lee Ellams, head of marketing at Tieva, said there were clear ways the channel could reduce carbon emissions.

“Partnerships are key to sustainability in the IT channel, enabling companies to share resources, knowledge and solutions,” he said. “Together, they can tackle supply chain emissions, boost energy efficiency and promote circular economy practices. Suppliers can also adopt green manufacturing and share sustainability data to help integrate these efforts into broader practices, benefiting clients and the ecosystem.”

The other advice from Agilitas was for transparency and reporting mechanisms, and for the channel to log data accurately and track progress in reducing emissions.

Agilitas’s report touched on the increasing pressure for the channel to be in a position to share data as part of a wider supply chain that can demonstrate it is meeting Scope 3 commitments.

“Channel companies continue to face a number of challenges and opportunities regarding sustainability,” said Sara Wilkes, CEO at Agilitas. “While business leaders are focused on sustainability goals, there is a notable disconnect across organisations which needs to be addressed in order to create a culture of collaboration and innovation.

“We have been no stranger to overcoming challenges throughout our sustainability journey, and the importance of high-quality data collection cannot be underestimated,” she said. “Ensuring data is accurate, well-logged and reviewed regularly is just the first step. Our Channel trends report aims to help businesses integrate sustainability into their long-term strategies, both now and in the future.” 

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