Harmonising innovation, sustainability and human-centred progress

The past decade has seen a rapid development of the sustainability sector — from minimal participation in green initiatives to the creation of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), leading to a massive adoption of sustain­able measures in business plans, and an increase in number of companies that re­port on sustainability. This momentum serves as a stepping stone to stimulate further adoption of sustainable measures in organisations, in a bid to achieve the SDGs and secure recognition from regu­latory bodies.

While the UN applauded countries in Asia Pacific for demonstrating consistent commitment to sustainability, the region is likely to miss 90% of SDG targets by 2030 at the current pace. This reality reflects the challenges and uncertainties faced by the sector, especially in measuring the progress of sustainable development. In fact, Capgemini's research reveals that even though executives are cognisant of the gravity of the climate crisis, they see it more as a costly obligation in the present, leading to a lack of action due to insufficient knowledge, uncoordinated implementation, and a lack of top-down directive within the organisation.

To move forward, there needs to be a more comprehensive evaluation of current practices to mitigate negative environmental impact and increase participation in sustainability reporting to promote transparency and accounta­bility. Sustainability is no longer optional to businesses today; it is imperative to consider how sustainability measures strategy. In the coming years, technology applications, along with continuous innovation and industry collaborations, will be crucial in helping organisations navigate sustainable value creation amid the rise of Web 3.0.

Why now?

It is inevitable that technology continues to play a pivotal role in addressing the complexities of sustainability reporting and accelerating the journey to net zero. However, technology is merely one cog in the wheel. Other factors driving technology and innovation when applying sustainable practices and tools, include the people who are using it, how it is implemented, and the use cases for its implementation.

People, process and technology are key considerations for any successful strategy in technology implementation, and the same applies to sustainability measures. It requires buy-in from leadership, stake­holders and employees, and support from an organisation’s policies, processes and culture, to maximise its capability.

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The dual transition connecting innovation and sustainability

The ever-growing digital-first population presents opportunities to increase awareness of the global sustainability agenda, but the reality of executing at scale can be complex and immeasurably difficult.

Present discussions and crackdown on corporate greenwashing globally also add further complications to the equa­tion. They could present a false sense of optimism around organisations’ positive environmental impact, while enabling a “greenhushing” attitude typically seen in emerging markets and smaller businesses, particularly in Asia Pacific, that lack knowledge on the regulatory environment, internal processes, and most importantly, does not possess sufficient data to meet the reporting requirements.

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There is a need for organisations to prioritise the development of a culture of innovation and improved data sharing. It has been shown that data sharing has a positive impact on the environment, specifically to empower planning and model for sustainability roadmaps, due to the increasing touchpoints between technologies, the environment that organisations operate in, and business performance. This progressive approach will also enable companies like Capgemini to further integrate sustainability in their offerings, and in turn, deliver additional value to clients. Data needs to be accessible and available for sharing when needed, and achieving this requires businesses to embrace more collaborative and creative models to build innovative solutions.

Fostering collaborative sustainability in the industry

Uncertainties across industries mean that digital solutions need to be deeply ingrained in the entire ecosystem. Sus­tainability measures, such as energy-sav­ing initiatives and the adoption of electric vehicles, cannot be applied in silo. The success of any measure is predicated on collaboration and interactions with key stakeholders. Artificial intelligence, advanced data analytics tools and machine learning can help to establish synergies and integrations, offering businesses limitless possibilities for achieving optimal efficiencies.

Industry frontrunners should lead the transformation and engage in knowledge exchange with the rest of the ecosystem to safeguard operational efficiencies through technology. For instance, Capgemini’s Energy Command Centre in India has over 7,000 sensors monitoring thousands of diverse assets, a concept that has been applied similarly for partners like BMW and Eneco. Eneco is on track to achieve its 2030 carbon reduction targets, and Capgemini is expected to contribute by jointly exploring the impact of engineering, digital, data and AI, business technology and platforms on reducing emissions.

This goes to show that the pursuit of sustainability is a collective endeavour, especially because the intricacy of the digital ecosystem is a by-product of a nuanced understanding of both shared and individual human experiences. While the feats and speeds of technologies are important, there is a need to create im­pactful change that matters to humans and not just organisations. After all, the ecosystem is only strong when every operational node is empowered and accountable.

Embracing a unified vision

As we navigate the dual transition towards a digital and sustainable world, unwavering commitment and vision­ary insights remain key to our success. Through consistent, comparable and meas­urable progress across organisations as they deepen their involvements in sus­tainability measures and annual disclo­sures, we can forge a world where inno­vation thrives, sustainability flourishes, and co-existence of human and technol­ogy prevails.

Barbara-Anne Bensted is the head of Sustainability for Asia Pacific at Capgemini