How IT Departments Can Drive Sustainability Goals
IT teams are playing an increasingly vital role in achieving organisational sustainability goals. From reducing energy use and managing e-waste to enabling flexible work and embracing cloud infrastructure, technology is a powerful lever for change.
It’s time to reimagine IT as not just an enabler of efficiency but a driver of environmental impact.
This blog explores the practical ways IT teams can lead the charge – highlighting strategies, technologies, and real-world success stories that show what’s possible when innovation meets environmental responsibility.
Embracing green infrastructure
One of the most impactful ways IT can contribute to sustainability is by rethinking infrastructure choices. Traditional on-premise data centers are energy-intensive and often reliant on outdated equipment. Transitioning to cloud-based solutions can drastically reduce energy use, particularly when partnering with providers that run on renewable energy.
Spotify shifted its infrastructure to Google Cloud, which operates on 100% renewable energy. The move aligned with Spotify’s broader sustainability goals and significantly reduced its environmental footprint.
Reducing energy use
IT teams can cut energy consumption through practical changes in how devices and systems are managed. This includes enabling power-saving modes, automating system shutdowns during off-hours, consolidating servers and adopting energy-efficient devices across the organisation.
Global consultancy Capgemini introduced smart power policies and upgraded to energy-efficient hardware across its offices, leading to substantial savings in electricity and a measurable drop in carbon emissions.
Managing hardware and e-waste
Electronic waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams in the world. IT departments can play a crucial role in reducing e-waste through responsible asset lifecycle management. This includes extending the life of devices, repurposing old equipment, donating to community groups and working with certified e-waste recyclers.
Embedding circular economy principles into procurement and maintenance processes ensures that technology choices support broader sustainability goals.
Supporting flexible work
Enabling remote and hybrid work not only boosts employee satisfaction but also reduces the environmental impact associated with commuting and office energy use. IT is central to this transformation providing secure access to systems, maintaining collaboration tools and ensuring performance remains seamless from anywhere.
Success story: Siemens rolled out a global remote work solution for over 140,000 employees. The result? A significant reduction in travel emissions and a strong alignment with its long-term sustainability objectives.
Measuring impact
Sustainability efforts need to be measurable to be meaningful. IT departments can help track and report environmental metrics related to technology such as energy usage in data centers, carbon emissions from IT operations and recycling rates of old equipment.
By using data and analytics tools IT can provide valuable insights to sustainability teams and contribute to transparent ESG reporting.
Aligning IT strategy with sustainability
Sustainability should be woven into the fabric of IT strategy. This includes selecting vendors with strong environmental commitments, adopting sustainable procurement practices and training teams to think green in their day-to-day decisions.
By aligning IT plans with broader organisational goals tech teams become not just service providers but strategic partners in delivering environmental impact.
IT departments are often seen as enablers of efficiency and innovation but they can also be powerful agents of environmental change. By embracing sustainable practices, leveraging green technologies and supporting data-driven strategies IT has the potential to drive lasting benefits for both the business and the planet.