According to a Schneider study, it was argued that sustainable implementation plans and measurable goals are necessary to bridge the gap between the ideal and reality of sustainability within companies.

On the 8th, Schneider Electric released a 'report focused on the sustainability of IT and data center operations' together with three global research institutions.

This study was conducted by global research firms S&P Global Market Intelligence, Forrester Consulting, and 451 Research on 3,000 people, including colocation and cloud producers, IT solution producers, and IT professionals from various fields. The study revealed that while the vision for sustainability within companies is clear, there is a gap in realizing it through action.

Schneider held a sustainable data center event last July and, citing the prediction that data center capacity will double by 2041, has argued that data centers must prioritize 'sustainability' throughout their design, construction, operation, and entire lifecycle.

According to the 'Sustainability at the Edge' report by IT analytics firm 451 Research, 48% of respondents assessed that while corporate sustainability programs have improved compared to the present, their maturity level remains low, revealing a gap between perception and reality.

Respondents cited optimizing energy usage, securing consistent data and metrics, and securing skilled staff as the biggest challenges in the process of implementing sustainability.

According to a Forrester Consulting report, 73% of respondents ranked sustainability as their second-highest business priority, but only 33% had established a strategic sustainability plan.

The IT and data center industry stated that it is still in the early stages of sustainability and that finding the right partner to help organizations succeed is important. In addition, organizations that hired external sustainability consulting firms were found to be 33% more likely to demonstrate maturity.

According to a survey by Canalys, 60% of respondents have dedicated ESG (Environmental Social and Governance) resources within their companies, and only 40% of them expect a return on sustainability solutions.

It was reported that while they are investing in sustainability strategies, they are struggling to translate those investments into action and lack solutions to achieve their goals. In particular, it was noted that only 61% of partners in the IT industry have dedicated personnel for sustainability, making it difficult to implement sustainability practices.

Pankaj Sharma, Executive Vice President (EVP) of Schneider Electric’s Secure Power business unit, stated, “These research findings demonstrate a gap between the ideals and the reality of sustainability across data centers and the IT industry as a whole. While IT professionals have taken various measures to understand and address sustainability, what we lack most are sustainable implementation plans and measurable goals necessary to resolve the climate crisis. These three research findings represent a collective challenge that we must address.”