IBM, with an assist from Ecosystm, has launched a Sustainability Technology Guide for Executives in the Asia Pacific region.
The guide outlines top sustainability challenges faced by Asia Pacific organizations -- including:
- The integration of automation and AI system data with enterprise data (48%);
- the need to collect data from multiple internal systems (45%); and
- the need to identify the right data for reporting requirements (42%).
On a related note, only 4 in 10 organizations can automatically source sustainability data from core systems such as ERP, enterprise asset management, CRM, energy management, and facilities management, a separate IBM study found.
Additional data points from the guide include:
- 64% of Asia Pacific organizations acknowledge the need for tech advisory firms to help define their unique sustainability roadmap, while 40% are already leveraging technology to optimize operations and supply chains.
- 53% of Asia Pacific organizations are refreshing to newer, more efficient infrastructure.
- Organizations need to carefully plan AI infrastructure and associated workloads in order to avoid runaway energy consumption.
- Roughly 70% of CEOs in Asia Pacific organizations are the primary stakeholders driving the sustainability vision, while only 22% have a dedicated Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO). There is a need for the entire leadership team to take ownership of the sustainability agenda, the report says, with the CIO championing the use of technology, the CFO integrating sustainability into financial planning, and the COO aligning operational efficiency with sustainability goals.
Naturally, IBM wants to align its AI, hybrid cloud and carbon monitoring solutions with customers' sustainability needs. Key product and platform options to note include the IBM Envizi ESG Software Suite.
Within its own business, IBM expects to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, the technology company said in February 2021.
So what's next? It's a safe bet numerous ESG software enhancements and capabilities will surface at IBM Think 2025, a major customer and partner conference scheduled for May 2025.
