In the face of climate change and increasing external pressure from stakeholders and consumers, businesses are racing to achieve vital sustainability objectives. However, these aspirations hold value only if they can be effectively measured. The pursuit of sustainability requires transformation propelled by commitments that must be ingrained into an organization’s culture, operating models and daily workflows.
Many executives still see sustainability and profitability as conflicting rather than complementary—even though 80% of CEOs expect sustainability investments to deliver business results within five years.1 The mindset needs to shift from viewing sustainability as a regulatory requirement or a stakeholder expectation to reconceiving sustainability as an opportunity for operational efficiencies, transformation, profit and growth.
You’ll have help from colleagues, technology, data, AI and ecosystem of partners. To start, you need to assess your business priorities and operational opportunities, which can fall into four mindsets.
It’s clear that the future of business is sustainability. However, to make that vision a reality, businesses need to operationalize their goals today, and adopt technology to support automation, transparency and reliability.
You’ve taken the first step by assessing your current mindset. Now let’s dive into the two tracks to learn more.
Flexibility and more renewable fuels Neste, a top sustainable aviation fuel producer, pledged in 2015 to fight climate change and promote a greener planet. Today, waste and residue products constitute more than 90% of Neste’s total renewable raw material inputs.
Sustainability technologies for facilities IBM Global Real Estate is using IBM Sustainability Software to embed insights into daily operating decisions for more sustainable facilities management. It has even won two awards for its effective sustainability-driven initiatives.
Advancement of the VISION2030 strategy NYPA unified its asset management system on IBM® Maximo® software to support digital transformation. It used several Maximo solutions—including assets, inventory, planning, preventive maintenance and work order modules—to manage its generation and transmission operations.
To become a sustainability trailblazer, you need a strategic roadmap that drives innovation while addressing demands from stakeholders.
¹ Seven bets, IBM Institute for Business Value, May 2023
² Sustainability as a transformation catalyst, IBM Institute for Business Value, January 2022