I've started learning about sustainability in IT from sustainableit.org what you can find there is a comprehensive set of metrics that can be applied to measure IT's impact on environmental, social and governance sustainability. The urgency for larger businesses to adopt sustainable practices has been amplified in the European Union by the enactment of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) alongside the established GDPR in 2024.
The CSRD mandates that large companies disclose regular reports on social and environmental risks, as well as their activities' impacts on people and the environment. This regulation targets:
Large public-interest entities with more than 500 employees
This encompasses approximately 11,700 large companies and groups across the EU, including listed companies, banks, insurance companies, and other sectors.
You can learn more about CSRD here
One particular illustration in the sustainable IT website stood out for me from this presentation and that was the view on where IT could realise savings and improvements:
We have responsibility to care for our planet and the resources we use. Although, some of the science in the material can be debated, as it may be oversimplified to make a point (climate geography lecturers can support this). What I liked was the structured manner in which the challenge of sustainability was approached.
The sustainability perspective is segmented into three core areas:
Sustainability in the IT Function - An internal viewpoint focusing on the IT department's operations.
Sustainability by IT for the Enterprise - How IT practices influence the broader organization's sustainability.
Sustainability by IT in the Marketplace - The external impact of IT solutions on market sustainability.
Measuring Corporate Sustainability by leaning on Business Architecture
Business Architecture (BA) provides a comprehensive framework that breaks down the silos within an organization. By offering a cohesive view of how various business components interoperate to deliver products and services,
BA becomes a crucial tool in evaluating the sustainability of organizational capabilities, technologies, and processes.
The essence of BA in this context lies in its ability to facilitate a systematic assessment of an enterprise's sustainability efforts. It enables organizations to identify and implement sustainable practices across all facets of business operation, aligning with both regulatory requirements and societal expectations for environmental stewardship.