SUSTAINABILITY NEWS Fret Zero More than half (56%) of UK business leaders are confident of reaching their sustainability goals. Yet, 72% are still stressed about hitting those targets and reaching Net Zero, according to research by BT. One big challenge identified by survey respondents is anxiety over picking the right tools, which 40% say has led to ‘investment paralysis’ and a freeze on investment decisions. Only one in five (22%) plans to invest in sustainable tech such as refurbished or remanufactured computers in this financial year. To help overcome this roadblock, BT is launching an upgraded Carbon Network Dashboard that gives customers oversight of the energy used and carbon emissions produced by their network and data centre equipment. Businesses can use it to see how specific applications are consuming energy, including data-hungry AI tools, helping them to understand how tech impacts their carbon footprint. Sarwar Khan, Sustainability Director – Business at BT, said: “Our research tells us that anxiety around where and how to invest is holding organisations back. We’re building efficiency into our networks from the ground up and layering on the tools to help businesses understand how technology impacts their energy use so that scaling up their digital footprint doesn’t have to mean scaling up their carbon footprint.” www.bt.com/about … Amazon sustainability start-ups roll out UK pilots Eleven sustainability start-ups have won the opportunity to trial their technologies in Amazon facilities in the UK, Denmark, France, Germany and Spain. Amazon Sustainability Accelerator winners piloting their solutions with Amazon in the UK include: • University of Nottingham-founded Cheesecake Energy, developer of solar energy storage systems that capture electricity generated during the day to provide additional energy during peak hours or at night; • HT Materials Science from Dublin, which will be adding an aluminium-based nanofluid solution to the heating and cooling systems of Amazon fulfilment centres in Coventry, Daventry and Doncaster to reduce energy consumption by up to 14%; and • US-based Phaidra, which will be piloting an AI tool that uses algorithms to optimise energy usage in real-time based on factors such as the weather and the number of occupants in a building, potentially cutting carbon emissions by up to 40% and energy costs by up to 25%. Since launching in 2022, the Amazon Sustainability Accelerator has supported more than 40 start-ups across the UK and Europe, provided more than £1 million in grants and credits, and helped those businesses on average increase sales by 700% and raise over £15 million. aboutamazon.co.uk 29 technologyreseller.co.uk Gartner accolade for Vyta Vyta, a leading asset disposition (ITAD) and IT asset lifecycle management (ITALM) service provider, is the only EMEA-based vendor to be included in the 2024 Gartner Market Guide for IT Asset Disposition (ITAD). The Mallusk-headquartered business delivers ITAD and ITALM services to 600 customers in over 50 countries worldwide from carbon-neutral facilities in Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and the UK. Vyta Founder and CEO Philip McMichael said: “As we continue to grow our global presence, we are proud to be recognised as a reliable partner for businesses seeking efficient, sustainable and secure IT asset management solutions. We look forward to building on this achievement and continuing to serve our clients with excellence and integrity.” https://vyta.com Circularity just a pipe-dream without C-suite buy-in The circular economy, or circularity, the practice of sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing resources to reduce waste and maximise value, is still beyond the reach of the vast majority of UK businesses, warns global spend management company Ivalua. Its study of 300 UK supply chain and procurement decision-makers shows that a circular economy approach has significant benefits including increased revenue (cited by 56% of businesses that have successfully implemented a circular economy model), more efficient material usage (56%), a reduced carbon footprint (52%) and lower costs (49%). However, its research also reveals that only one in four UK businesses has already implemented a circular economy model. Ivalua warns that, with three quarters of businesses failing to master even the basics of sustainable supply chains, such as comprehensive plans for using renewable energy (75%), buying recycled materials (76%) and exchanging resources with suppliers (81%), there is a growing gap between sustainability leaders and laggards. Most decision-makers surveyed by Ivalua understand the need for action. More than half (57%) agree that the cost of inaction will far outweigh the cost of implementing circular economy initiatives; 51% fear that if they don’t implement circular economy models, they’ll be overtaken by greener, more efficient competitors; and half (49%) are in the process of implementing or planning to implement a circular economy model. Even so, 58% describe circular economy initiatives as a ‘pipe dream’ and 54% say they will never gain momentum without more support from the C-suite and the board. Other roadblocks to success include resistance to change from suppliers (37%), competing priorities (34%) and suppliers that don’t understand their own environmental impact (31%). Ivalua Director of Product Jarrod McAdoo says it is vital for businesses to secure buy-in from leaders and stake-holders and invest in the tools and processes needed to enable closer collaboration with suppliers. “Only then can they identify opportunities to minimise resource wastage and their environmental footprint throughout their supply chain lifecycle,” he said. www.ivalua.com Jarrod McAdoo
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