SUSTAINABILITY
Hidden costs may include poor energy efficiency, waste created by underutilised assets, low repairability or the loss of material and financial value when technology isn’ t refurbished and made available for reuse after its first lifecycle.
The challenge is that while tech leaders recognise the benefits of managing tech more sustainably – three-quarters say it reduces environmental footprint( 75 %) and two-thirds recognise it lowers costs( 66 %) – many make tech investment decisions without considering the downstream environmental and social impacts they will create.
Just over half rate environmental factors as important considerations in the procurement process, including waste reduction( 56 %), energy
26 %
AMOUNT OF ORGANISATIONS THAT DO NOT RECOVER VALUE FROM THEIR DECOMMISSIONED TECH, MEANING THE MATERIAL AND FINANCIAL VALUE HELD IN AN ASSET AFTER ITS FIRST USE IS LOST efficiency( 60 %), ESG reporting( 54 %) and refurbishment and resale( 53 %).
TCI will help to bring these long-term considerations into view from the outset. It encourages CIOs to consider upfront how they will track assets end-toend, account for residual value, specify certified data erasure and responsible disposal, evaluate repairability and upgrade potential and monitor utilisation so that idle assets do not become waste.
This improves environmental sustainability while also increasing efficiency, returns, compliance and resilience.
Q. HOW WILL THE TCI FRAMEWORK INTEGRATE WITH EXISTING CARBON FOOTPRINT SOFTWARE? CAN A CIO USE THESE METRICS TO PROVIDE AUDIT-READY ESG REPORTS FOR STAKEHOLDERS AND REGULATORS?
» TCI will be intentionally introduced as a strategic decision-making model, designed to provide visibility into lifecycle costs, risks and value at the point when technology investments are made, rather than as a reporting tool.
It will complement existing reporting platforms by helping organisations make better upstream decisions that ultimately shape what will be reported as environmental impact. Over time, we hope TCI will be operationalised through assessments, benchmarks and decision-support tools that can integrate more directly with reporting systems.
A useful parallel is the waste hierarchy. It began as a guiding model
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