43% of Irish companies have firm plans to be carbon-neutral or achieve net zero, according to a survey by IT company DataSolutions.
The findings show that 65% of businesses expect to achieve their goal by 2030.
105 IT leaders were surveyed as part of the research, which was carried out by Mediateam.
On a more negative note, 38% of organisations said they do not have a sustainability or Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy.
The survey also 36% do not believe their organisation is doing a good enough job when it comes to environmental and social sustainability.
A lack of green alternatives and the expense involved in becoming carbon neutral were among the top hurdles mentioned by respondents.
The research also found that 62% of IT leaders believe the tech industry is not sustainable enough and needs to change quickly, while 71% think technology will play a positive role in the war against global warming.
Almost a third of those surveyed see sustainability as being crucial to economic recovery post-Covid.
“There’s no denying it, climate change is the most pressing and urgent issue of our time,” said Michael O’Hara, Group Managing Director of DataSolutions and co-founder of Techies Go Green.
“And the time for people and businesses to act is right now.
“Worryingly, there is still a disjoint between the desire to be carbon-neutral or more sustainable and actually putting into place the solutions and strategies to achieve this goal,” he said.
Mr O’Hara said having an ESG strategy is no longer aspirational – but crucial.
“Every organisation needs to be reducing their CO2 footprint by 50% by 2030 and achieving carbon zero by 2050 at the very latest.
“Going green makes sense for both the world and business. However, companies will need to wade through the mountain of information and negative commentary around climate change, educating themselves and producing a plan that will have a real impact,” he added.
In March 2021, DataSolutions announced its commitment to becoming carbon-neutral by 2022.
Article Source – Almost 40% of Irish firms don’t have a sustainability strategy – RTE – Gill Stedman