DUBAI, UAE 7 December 2023: Kyndryl, an IT infrastructure services provider, in collaboration with Microsoft, announced the release of the findings of The Global Sustainability Barometer study. Making the announcement through a Press release, Kyndryl said, the study, conducted by Ecosystm, finds that while 88% of organisations in the UAE place a high strategic level of importance on achieving their sustainability goals, only 22% have integrated sustainability into their strategies and data.

As the world faces an increase in climate-related events and challenges, Kyndryl said, there is an urgency among businesses to act now using technology to drive sustainable solutions. Furthermore, Kyndryl said that while 63% of organisations surveyed in the UAE see great significance in technology’s role in achieving their goals, only 30% believe they are making full use of it in their organisations.

Faith Taylor, Chief Sustainability and ESG Officer, Kyndryl, said: “Many companies are at different stages of sustainability maturity, and companies are applying technology to unlock the full potential of sustainability. They are thinking beyond regulatory compliance to execute and advance their sustainability goals pragmatically.”

Shelly Blackburn, Vice President, Cross Solutions Area, Microsoft, said: “Technology has emerged as a key enabler to sustainability success, and its role will only continue to grow with the advent of more sophisticated Artificial Intelligence (AI)tools. We are eager to help drive meaningful change and contribute to a more sustainable future in collaboration with Kyndryl.”

Faith Taylor

According to Kyndryl, the key highlights of the survey are:

• While CEOs and boards have made sustainability and digital transformation a priority, they need help with the integration and execution of their programs to meet their goals.
• 73% of organisations in the UAE use AI to monitor energy use, but only 46% use current data to predict future energy consumption.
• Among stakeholders of organisations in the UAE, employees are the most vocal in advocating for sustainability policies and practices, followed by investors, customers and government regulators.

According to Kyndryl, some of the sustainability best practices for driving growth and improving business outcomes are:

• Make sustainability a CEO and boardroom priority aligned with finance and technology. Over 52% of organisations in the UAE entrust the CEO and the Board with leadership roles in their sustainability functions.
• Align sustainability with technology modernisation. Technology can automate, modernise and prioritise sustainability processes and infrastructures. Of the respondents surveyed in the UAE, Kyndryl said 64% use automation to improve efficiencies and build sustainable operations, while 51% use technology to reduce the environment footprint of their organisation and support data and reporting requirements.
• Build an integrated data foundation. Streamline data management for informed decision-making and successful execution of strategies. A mere 12% of organisations in the UAE have the capability to provide their employees with real-time sustainability dashboards.
• Unleash AI for predictive sustainability. Expand the use of AI beyond reporting to include predictive analytics that assess Scope 3 risks, forecast energy consumption and anticipate potential risks such as natural disasters.
• Empower employees. The study found that 55% of surveyed organisations in the UAE lack dedicated resources or limited internal expertise, which outlines the need for additional workforce development.

Ullrich Loeffler, Co-Founder & CEO, Ecosystm, said: “Faced with record-breaking temperatures and unparalleled climate-related events, this is a moment that calls for collective action from governments, industries, enterprises and individuals alike. Together with Kyndryl and Microsoft, we are honoured to make this study available to organisations everywhere to outline steps they can take today to drive measurable sustainability impact.”

Kyndryl said the Global Sustainability Barometer study, conducted by Ecosystm in collaboration with Kyndryl and Microsoft, was conducted among 1,523 technology and sustainability business leaders across 16 countries in Asia, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and the Americas. The survey, Kyndryl added, took place between September and October 2023, and it was conducted across nine industries and included small, medium and global companies.