COP28InterviewsSustainability

COP28: Enterprises Will Invest in Becoming More Data-Driven to Develop Their Sustainability Roadmap

Faith Taylor, the Chief Sustainability and ESG Officer at Kyndryl, says cutting down on company-related emissions is a top priority for the company’s environmental strategy

Please tell us about your efforts that ensure a sustainable and equitable digital future.
At Kyndryl, we design, build, manage, and modernize the mission-critical systems that the world depends on every day. Thus, we acknowledge our duty to promote sustainable practices, support our employees and communities, and maintain ethical governance as we navigate a dynamic global economy that presents new and complex challenges. As a purpose-driven company, we are committed to operating at the heart of progress, where digital innovation, environmental stewardship, and social impact come together, to build a world where a thriving economy coexists with a thriving planet. We built sustainability into the foundation of our Company and have aligned it with our CEO and BOD commitments.

What is your commitment to combat climate change?
Cutting down on company-related emissions is a top priority for our environmental strategy. We have pledged to cut our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by half by 2030 and reach net zero by 2040 across all scopes.  To accomplish this, our environmental sustainability plan aims at effectively tracking and lowering emissions at every stage of the value chain, from the ones we have direct control over to those we don’t, such as our suppliers’ emissions. We also aspire to achieve 100% renewable energy throughout our portfolio by 2030.

What are the challenges in combatting global environmental issues?
Despite the greater focus on sustainability, many organizations still lack a comprehensive plan and are struggling with how to integrate their data to meet demanding targets, all while managing external challenges such as stricter regulations. While more businesses are now focusing on financing their sustainability initiatives, they must go beyond that to identify the appropriate skills and data to support these initiatives. Moreover, addressing critical climate challenges necessitates collective effort; businesses need far-reaching partnerships to make a difference.

What sort of trends do you foresee in the areas of sustainability and technology?
We anticipate that enterprises will invest in becoming more data-driven to develop their sustainability roadmap, transparently measure their progress, and make more informed sustainability decisions. Furthermore, organizations will increasingly seek out solutions to directly reduce their carbon footprints and help them better understand their scope 3 emissions, which are more difficult to measure and control. Consequently, more organizations will engage technology partners to guide them in their sustainability journeys, harnessing technologies like cloud, AI, automation, IoT, and generative AI, among others.

How do you envision your role in shaping a more sustainable future in 2024 and beyond?
As the world’s largest IT infrastructure company, we have both the opportunity and responsibility to advise and help our customers reach their sustainability goals through cloud, AI, and automation. Our open integration platform, Kyndryl Bridge, harnesses AI, operational data, and our employees’ extensive expertise to provide our clients with visibility into the operations of their entire IT estate.

Thanks to the built-in sustainability services of Kyndryl Bridge, organizations can develop a more sustainable technology footprint. Our Carbon Footprint Assessment Calculator, for instance, offers our customers a fast, high-level estimate of their IT infrastructure emissions, serving as the starting point for a successful emissions reduction plan.

How are you aligning your sustainability initiatives in line with the themes of COP28?
The COP28 thematic program revolves around specific solutions that must be scaled up this decade to limit warming to 1.5 degrees, build resilience, and mobilize finance at scale. Kyndryl, in addition to committing to net zero emissions by 2040, has developed scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas baseline and inventory, while we validate our net zero targets through the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to ensure alignment with climate science. Additionally, we support the co-creation of sustainability solutions for our customers via our Green Guild network and continuously train and educate our employees to support our goals. We have also developed a responsible purchasing/supplier program.

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Chris Fernando

Chris N. Fernando is an experienced media professional with over two decades of journalistic experience. He is the Editor of Arabian Reseller magazine, the authoritative guide to the regional IT industry. Follow him on Twitter (@chris508) and Instagram (@chris2508).

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