Here is today's sustainable IT services news, research and analysis for channel partners, MSPs, climate accounting professionals, consultants and the chief sustainability officers (CSOs) they serve.
A. Sustainable IT Partnerships, Strategic Alliances and Strategies
1. Executive Leadership: At SMRT Corporation, Margaret Teo will relinquish her group chief communications officer role to focus on group chief sustainability officer responsibilities.
2. CEO Transition - Software: Measurabl, which develops a sustainability data platform for real estate, promoted Chief Growth Officer Maureen Waters to CEO. She succeeds co-founder Matt Ellis, who shifts to executive chairman. Ellis will oversee investment and M&A opportunities and provide strategic counsel to the company, Measurabl said.
3. Open Letter to Big Tech: The Sierra Club is calling on Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft to reject new fossil fuel buildouts for their data centers.
4. Built Environment Challenges: Demand for sustainable real estate is said to be cooling in most regions, with many projects stalling over high upfront costs and uncertain payback, Exigo research found.
5. Data Center Rejected: The Lewiston City Council in Maine voted to halt plans for a local AI data center. Local citizens were concerned about the project’s economics, timeline and developer track record, a local report said.
6. Data Center Energy Bills: Amid consumer concerns about data center energy bills, Amazon points out that the company pays for its own electricity costs.
7. Partnership - Data Center: Atlas Cloud AI and NewYork GreenCloud are partnering in California to deploy an Nvidia cluster powered by renewable energy.
8. Partnership - IT Services: Ecopetrol SA, Accenture and AWS have built a water intelligence and management solution to "help advance sustainability and operational efficiencies for energy companies," the three companies said.
9. IBM - Training Services: IBM plans to train roughly 5 million learners across India in AI, cybersecurity and quantum computing by 2030. The IBM SkillsBuild effort also involves sustainability expertise. Related: IBM sustainability strategy and channel partner implications.
10. Microsoft Carbon Removal Deal: Microsoft has signed a carbon removal deal with Brazilian enhanced rock weathering (ERW) firm InPlanet for more than 28,500 tons of carbon credits, Data Center Dynamics reported. Related: Microsoft sustainability strategy and channel partner implications.
11. ITAD Trade Association: Keep an eye on the Global ITAD Alliance (GIA), a new trade association for the IT asset disposition industry. Associated events will include ITAD Europe (Nice, April 2025); ITAD Summit (Las Vegas, August 2025) and Mobile Disrupt (Miami & Las Vegas). ERI ranks among the founding members.
12. Research - CSRD Reports: Only 42% of ESG reports analyzed across Central Europe provided quantitative data related to CapEx/OpEx, 14%, data related to workforce, and 13%, data related to resource use and circular economy, Deloitte research found. Related: List of research reports and market forecasts.
13. AI Strategy: Google has released an AI playbook for sustainability reporting.
14. Solar Energy: Google has signed a solar energy power purchase agreement (PPA) with Shizen Energy Inc. in Malaysia.
15. Renewable Energy - Vineyards: Nelson Family Vineyards of Mendocino County, California, is powering 100% of its operations with renewable energy following the installation of a floating solar system on an irrigation pond, the vineyard said.
B. Sustainable IT Investments, Funding, Earnings and Business Launches
1. Accelerator: The Amazon Devices Climate Tech Accelerator is accepting inquiries for 2026. Related: List of 100+ accelerators and sustainability incubators.
2. Investment - IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) Services: Mitsubishi Materials Corp. has invested in Elemental USA E-Waste & ITAD. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Related: List of ITAD mergers, acquisitions and private equity investments.
3. Private Equity Partnership: KKR and HA Sustainable Infrastructure Capital (HASI) each have committed another $500 million for CarbonCount Holdings 1 (CCH1), a clean energy infrastructure investment platform.
4. M&A - Data Services: STOXX is acquiring ECPI from Confluence Technologies. ECPI, based in Milan, Italy, provides sustainability indices, data and analytics to the institutional investor community. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
5. M&A - IT Services: Accenture is acquiring 65% of DLB Associates, an AI data center consulting firm that also has energy expertise.
C. Regional and Global Sustainability Policies, Regulations and News
1. COP31: By splitting leadership on hosting (Turkiye) and negotiation (Australia), the arrangement reduces domestic political risk and decreases cost, whilst creating space for inclusive, cross-cutting collaboration, Dialog Earth asserted.
2. COP31 - Preliminary Meeting: COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev met in Istanbul with Türkiye's Murat Kurum, minister of environment, urbanization and climate change, Azertec reported. The meeting focused on climate action, international cooperation, and COP processes, the report said.
3. United States Energy Research - IT Services: Accenture Federal Services is exploring partnerships with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to support the Genesis Mission. The mission involves AI technology and energy leadership.
4. European Union - CSRD Changes: The European Parliament formally adopted the final text to revise the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), JD Supra reported. The legislative amendments still require approval by EU Member States in the Council of the EU before entering into force, which we expect to happen within weeks, the report said. The amendments will substantially reduce the scope of the CSRD and the CSDDD and are expected to exempt a significant proportion of companies that are currently in scope, JD Supra concluded.
5. United States vs. European Union - CSRD Policy: Although the EU is scaling back the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), the United States remains concerned that certain rules will impact large foreign firms doing business in the EU, Bloomberg reported.
6. Spain Data Centers: Nostrum Data Centers is developing 500 MW of sustainable IT capacity across Spain. The services should come online starting in 2027.
7. India Energy Research - IT Services: Tata Power launched an Energy Insights & Innovation Lab (EIIL) today at its Mumbai based headquarters. The lab will support India’s clean energy transition while "improving the quality, reliability, and affordability of electricity services for consumers across India," the company said.
D. Sustainability Conferences, Summits and Events
- CES 2026 (January 6-9, Las Vegas)
- World Future Energy Summit 2026 (January 13-15, UAE)
- Sustainable and Impact Investments International Conference (January 22-23, Hamburg, Germany)
- IMPACT Sustainability Travel and Tourism Summit 2026 (Victoria, BC, Canada)
- Complete Sustainability Conference Calendar
E. Previous Updates & Future News
- Future Updates: If you have news to share then please email me the details.
- Previous News: All of our daily news updates are here.
