Sustainability is a Team Sport, Says Schneider Electric
Most European channel partners have plans for sustainability, and many are taking advantage of customer demand for solutions that are good for the environment, society, and governance (ESG).
According to research done by Canalys for Schneider Electric, smaller partners are having trouble coming up with a strategy for sustainability and could use some help.
Canalys found that 75% of EMEA partners have made ESG plans, and 28% have set up a separate team to work on sustainability. The report discovered that 69% of partners said that clients' ESG policies drive investment decisions and that smaller partners were struggling to build a sustainable approach.
David Terry, the vice president of IT channels at Schneider Electric, Europe, said that the company was committed to helping the channel with its efforts to be more sustainable.
"Manufacturers, IT distribution partners, and parts of the ecosystem come together to support IT partners. We’re doing everything we can within our own operations. If we look at our commitments, they are constantly evolving as we get more experience, we gather more pace with our commitments," he said.
He said Schneider was advising partners to start their sustainability journey with three steps: “Assess where you are and start the measurement, which is key. As we move forward on the sustainability journey, digitise. You can’t talk about sustainability without talking about digitisation...and the third piece is decarbonisation.
“Not one single person would do this on their own. Sustainability and reducing CO2 emissions across the channels that we have is a team sport. It’s the vendors, the manufacturers, the distribution, and its resellers. It’s the logistical services we use, and it is the recycling services. But it’s one of the biggest opportunities we have,” he said.
Terry stated that the company was assisting the channel through its partner programme and would help them take stock and move forward on the sustainability issue.
According to Rachel Brindley, senior director of channels at Canalys, several factors are driving increased interest in sustainability, including a focus on supply chains that has sparked more interest in take-back and circular economy approaches, regulatory and social pressure, and the incoming generation of workers demanding that their employers take the issue seriously.
“Customers are really focused on looking at their sustainability strategies, and they’re expecting their partners to conform to being sustainable and having strategies of their own,” she said.
“From our research at Canalys, we’re seeing that partners are really invested in their sustainability strategies,” she added. “There’s a huge opportunity for partners in this circular, and the vendors need to step up to meet that challenge. The partners are identifying opportunities, particularly at the moment in energy efficiency, energy management and monitoring, and remote management.”
Canalys found that partners wanted to invest in going green, using sustainable IoT (Internet of Things) solutions, switching to electric vehicle fleets, and making energy assessments.
“Things like carbon reduction and carbon audits will become increasingly important, as well as energy optimisation,” said Brindley.
Source: Computer Weekly
