Sustainability targets are no longer limited to energy or facilities teams. They now sit squarely within the scope of IT.
Servers, storage, devices, networks: all consume energy, rely on raw materials, and produce waste. Yet many businesses still treat IT as separate from their ESG strategies. That’s a missed opportunity.
Integrating sustainable IT practices is about data. Reducing energy consumption, optimising resources, and cutting emissions can be measured, managed, and improved if the right systems are in place.
ESG reporting is also evolving. Stakeholders demand more transparency. Regulators are tightening expectations. IT leaders and ESG managers are now expected to collaborate.
The goal: build an IT strategy that actively supports sustainability goals, not just operates alongside them.
This guide explores how IT can contribute to measurable ESG outcomes. It focuses on strategies that reduce environmental impact, improve reporting, and create efficiencies across procurement, asset management, and operations.
Understanding Sustainable IT in the Context of ESG
Sustainable IT is about managing technology in a way that reduces environmental harm, improves operational efficiency, and supports corporate responsibility. It covers everything from how devices are made and used to how they’re retired, reused, or recycled.
In the context of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), sustainable IT plays a direct role in how organisations track, report, and reduce their impact on the environment.
How It Works with ESG:
- Environmental: Energy use, emissions, electronic waste, and resource consumption
- Social: Supply chain ethics, digital accessibility, and data protection
- Governance: Procurement transparency, compliance, and auditability of systems and reporting
Sustainable IT isn’t just about what equipment you use. It’s about how technology choices align with broader business values, and how those values are demonstrated through data and action.
Sustainable IT Asset Management: Controlling the Lifecycle
IT assets have a footprint long before they’re powered on. Manufacturing uses raw materials. Shipping adds emissions. Disposal creates waste.
A sustainable IT asset management approach starts with rethinking how devices and infrastructure are selected, used, maintained, and retired.
Key Principles of Sustainable IT Asset Management
Choose devices that are built to last, with modular components and repairability. Prioritise energy efficient hardware with sustainability certifications.
- Reuse and reallocate devices internally
- Perform regular maintenance and firmware updates
- Apply OS upgrades before replacing hardware
- Use monitoring tools to identify underused devices or redundant infrastructure
- Consolidate workloads where appropriate
- Decommission obsolete assets promptly
- Partner with certified e-waste and recycling providers
- Document disposal practices for ESG reporting
- Consider hardware buyback or refurbishment programs
Benefits of Sustainable Asset Management Practices
- Reduces greenhouse gas emissions across the asset lifecycle
- Supports supply chain transparency and accountability
- Cuts unnecessary capital expenditure
- Enables cleaner data for ESG reporting
- Improves audit readiness for sustainability compliance
From Inventory to Insight
Sustainable IT asset management isn’t just about having a list of devices. It’s about visibility. Accurate, real-time data enables smarter decisions about when to replace, upgrade, or phase out. It connects procurement, operations, and reporting into a single view, one that ESG teams and CFOs can both use.
Using sustainable IT asset management as a foundation, companies can begin to reduce their carbon footprint, manage resource efficiency, and meet internal and external expectations for ESG performance.
Reducing the IT Carbon Footprint
IT infrastructure consumes energy. Servers run 24/7. Cooling systems work continuously. Devices stay plugged in whether they’re active or not. Every watt counts.
For organisations looking to build more environmentally friendly practices, IT offers some of the most immediate opportunities for emissions reduction.
Key Areas to Target
- Migrate on-premise systems to energy-optimised cloud platforms
- Use auto-scaling to match computing power with real demand
- Retire legacy systems that lack energy-efficient architecture
- Transition to low-power and energy efficient hardware across the fleet
- Implement automated sleep and shutdown policies
- Track energy use at the device level to inform future purchasing
- Consolidate workloads with virtual machines
- Optimise applications to reduce processing loads
- Choose cloud-based solutions that support sustainability metrics
- Rationalise redundant networking equipment
- Use energy-aware routing where available
- Select partners with emissions-reduction commitments in their supply chain
What Gets Measured, Gets Reduced
Reduction begins with measurement. To lower greenhouse gas emissions, organisations need visibility into consumption patterns. That includes:
- Power usage effectiveness (PUE) for data centres
- Energy consumption by device type and user profile
- Carbon impact per workload or application
Advanced monitoring and analytics can provide baseline data. Once that’s in place, ESG managers and IT teams can work together to set realistic reduction targets and track progress over time.
Sustainable IT practices focused on reducing their carbon footprint can cut emissions, which often leads to lower energy bills and extended asset value. A win for both finance and sustainability leads.
Looking to shift your operations to the cloud, or optimise your existing environment? Start here: Cloud Migration Checklist: Your Guide to a Successful Shift
Sustainable IT Procurement and the Circular Economy
Procurement decisions define a significant portion of an organisation’s environmental impact. The extraction, production, and transport of hardware all contribute to emissions before the first login.
Sustainable IT procurement takes a long-term view. It considers lifecycle cost, repairability, supply chain practices, and post-use recovery. It shifts the priority from price per unit to impact per unit.
Procurement Principles That Align with ESG Goals
- Source products with lower embodied carbon
- Choose vendors with transparent, ethical supply chain practices
- Request details on use of recycled or sustainably sourced raw material
- Require energy efficiency ratings and sustainability certifications
- Request documentation on manufacturing emissions and water use
- Assess packaging and shipping practices for waste management compliance
- Choose modular devices that can be repaired or upgraded
- Limit vendor lock-in to allow hardware interoperability and reuse
- Evaluate asset recovery and refurbishment options at procurement stage
- Work with vendors who publish emissions data and ESG targets
- Use supplier scorecards that include environmental and social indicators
- Negotiate take-back programs and properly disposing agreements
Procurement Meets Circular Economy
When IT procurement aligns with circular economy principles, value is extended and waste is reduced. Rather than treating devices as disposable, they become assets that can be reused, reallocated, or returned to the supply chain.
Benefits include:
- Reduced raw material demand
- Improved resource efficiency
- Lower total cost of ownership
- Enhanced alignment with corporate sustainability goals
Sustainable technology procurement isn’t just about purchasing greener hardware. It’s about embedding accountability into the entire lifecycle (from sourcing to disposal) with ESG reporting in mind.
ESG Reporting: Strengthening Visibility Through IT
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting depends on reliable, standardised data. Without it, sustainability claims remain unverifiable. That’s where IT has a crucial role to play.
Technology generates and manages much of the information needed for ESG tracking. From hardware usage and power consumption to software licensing and vendor engagement, IT systems are a core data source. Yet in many organisations, this data remains fragmented or unused.
How IT Enables Better ESG Reporting
- Capture energy consumption, emissions, and resource usage across IT infrastructure
- Centralise reporting from cloud services, on-prem systems, and third-party platforms
- Integrate hardware lifecycle data with procurement records and disposal logs
- Use ESG software to streamline data collection and visualisation
- Schedule automated disclosures in line with international frameworks (e.g., GRI, SASB, CSRD)
- Align IT systems with audit and compliance checkpoints
- Provide traceable records for sustainable IT procurement decisions
- Document properly disposing of e-waste through certified providers
- Maintain logs of emissions reductions achieved through IT initiatives
- Enable consistent ESG dashboards for internal use
- Support investor and board-level transparency with up-to-date performance data
- Back sustainability goals with measurable, IT-led results
The Benefits of Data-Led Sustainability
Organisations that integrate IT into ESG reporting gain:
- Greater confidence in published ESG metrics
- Fewer manual errors or inconsistencies in sustainability disclosures
- Faster response to regulatory updates or stakeholder requests
- Improved credibility with investors, customers, and auditors
Sustainable IT solutions aren’t limited to reducing environmental impact. They also support the transparency and accountability that ESG frameworks demand.
The Financial Case: Cost and Efficiency Gains
Sustainability initiatives are often seen as a cost. But in IT, they can be a source of measurable savings. Sustainable IT practices extend asset lifespans and reduce unnecessary spend without compromising performance.
CFOs play a vital role here. Many of the decisions that drive IT sustainability also impact capital expenditure, operating costs, and risk management.
Where Sustainable IT Delivers Cost Savings
- Reduce energy bills through efficient data centres and device policies
- Monitor usage patterns to scale back excess capacity
- Power down non-critical systems outside business hours
- Delay refresh cycles by upgrading, not replacing
- Reallocate underused equipment internally
- Use data to avoid over-purchasing during procurement rounds
- Eliminate redundant software licensing
- Merge overlapping platforms and storage systems
- Shift workloads to lower-cost cloud configurations
- Avoid penalties by improving electronic waste handling
- Reduce physical storage needs through virtualisation
- Document cost-saving outcomes in ESG reports and board papers
Financial Outcomes for ESG-Aligned IT Strategy
Sustainable technology practices support a more predictable cost base. They create room for reinvestment into transformation projects. They also help quantify the business value of ESG efforts, moving sustainability from ambition to return on investment.
Looking to optimise your cloud environment for better sustainability practices and cost savings? Look no further: Cloud Cost Management: 5 Ways to Reduce Cloud Spend
Aligning IT with Broader Sustainability Goals
IT decisions don’t exist in isolation. They influence (and are influenced by) procurement, operations, finance, and governance. To contribute meaningfully to ESG objectives, IT strategy must be integrated with broader sustainability goals.
This calls for cross-functional planning. Sustainability managers, CFOs, and CIOs need shared language, shared data, and shared outcomes.
Where IT and ESG Intersect
- Define sustainability standards that apply across IT procurement, operations, and disposal
- Embed ESG performance in IT vendor contracts and evaluation criteria
- Ensure compliance with reporting frameworks at system level
- Use IT to reduce waste and energy consumption across departments
- Track real-time performance metrics tied to ESG KPIs
- Automate reporting workflows to reduce resource overhead
- Link ESG progress to cost savings through asset tracking and energy monitoring
- Model total cost of ownership for sustainable IT solutions
- Provide clear evidence of ROI for ESG initiatives driven by IT
- Assess technology suppliers on emissions, transparency, and resource efficiency
- Require traceability of raw materials used in IT equipment
- Track and audit outsourced services for alignment with internal ESG policies
Taking a Collaborative Approach
Progress requires coordination. IT must be at the table early, not just when reporting begins or hardware is being procured. Sustainability strategies are stronger when they include digital infrastructure, lifecycle planning, and data stewardship from the outset.
When IT teams understand ESG drivers, and ESG managers understand IT impact, sustainable transformation becomes achievable.
Planet6: Driving Sustainability Through Smart IT
Many mid-sized organisations face the same barrier: the intent to build sustainable IT systems is there, but the structure, tools, and time are not.
Planet6 provides the frameworks and services needed to align IT with sustainability goals, without bringing in complexities or increasing costs. These services are used by ESG managers and CFOs to deliver measurable, cross-functional outcomes.
What We Deliver:
- Sustainable IT asset management: Track usage, extend lifecycle, retire responsibly.
- Energy-efficient cloud and infrastructure: Reduce costs and emissions with smarter deployments.
- Sustainable procurement support: Choose the right hardware, vendors, and disposal partners.
- ESG reporting integration: Capture IT metrics and automate disclosures.
- Cost and carbon transparency: Understand exactly where waste sits and how to eliminate it.
We don’t offer generic toolkits or one-off reports. We design and run sustainable technology systems that support your ESG strategy, board reporting, and long-term operational goals.
How Does Your IT Stack Simplify (or Slow) Your ESG Progress?
Sustainability and IT are not separate conversations. They’re connected by data, infrastructure, procurement, and reporting. Ignoring that link leaves money on the table and gaps in your ESG story.
The next step is simple: treat IT as a key lever in your sustainability plan. Measure what matters. Make decisions based on evidence. Build systems that support the goals you’ve committed to.
If you’re assessing how IT contributes to your organisation’s environmental goals, the first step is clarity.
- What are your biggest sources of IT-related emissions?
- Are your procurement and reporting practices aligned?
- Do you have the tools to track performance, impact, and savings?
Start with the facts. Find out how a structured IT approach can support your ESG goals.
Talk to Planet6 about building a measurable, sustainable IT strategy that’s clear, direct, and built for action. Just like the way we work.
Sustainable IT: Frequently Asked Questions
Sustainable IT refers to the practice of designing, deploying, and managing technology in a way that minimises negative environmental impact and supports long-term operational and ethical goals. It includes:
- Using energy efficient hardware and infrastructure
- Reducing electronic waste through reuse, repair, and recycling
- Extending the lifecycle of devices
- Optimising energy usage across data centres and networks
- Sourcing equipment from vendors with transparent environmental and social practices
- Aligning IT operations with sustainability targets
Sustainable IT is often integrated into broader ESG strategies to support measurable environmental performance and responsible governance.
Sustainable IT provides key data streams for ESG reporting. It enables:
- Accurate emissions tracking: Energy use from servers, devices, and infrastructure
- Lifecycle documentation: Procurement, usage, and end-of-life handling of hardware
- Compliance mapping: Documentation to support international standards (e.g., GRI, CSRD, SASB)
- Vendor transparency: Insight into environmental and social practices across the supply chain
- Automation: Integration with ESG platforms for consistent, auditable data flows
By building sustainable IT practices into daily operations, businesses gain reliable, standardised data that strengthens ESG disclosures and reduces reporting risk.
Procurement has a long-lasting impact. A holistic approach to sustainable IT procurement should prioritise:
- Device longevity: Hardware that’s durable, repairable, and modular
- Vendor accountability: Partners with published ESG goals, supply chain transparency, and take-back programs
- Low-impact materials: Products with reduced embedded carbon and minimal toxic components
- Lifecycle thinking: Planning for reuse, recycling, or certified disposal before purchase
- Energy efficiency standards: Certified hardware (e.g., Energy Star, EPEAT)
- Emissions documentation: Access to product-specific carbon and manufacturing data
- Packaging and logistics: Reduced packaging waste and sustainable delivery practices
These practices help reduce resource consumption, improve ESG metrics, and limit compliance risks.
To understand impact, you need data across both environmental and financial metrics. Key measurement areas include:
- Emissions and energy use
- Power consumption of IT infrastructure and end-user devices
- Data centre efficiency (e.g., Power Usage Effectiveness – PUE)
- GHG emissions from technology operations and supply chain
- Resource efficiency
- Device lifespan and refresh cycle tracking
- Rate of reused vs. newly purchased assets
- Reduction in e-waste volume and improvement in responsible disposal rates
- Financial impact
- Cost savings from energy reduction, asset consolidation, or extended hardware use
- Avoided costs (e.g., regulatory penalties, over-purchasing, licensing waste)
- ESG reporting readiness
- Percentage of IT-related ESG data that is automatically collected and auditable
- Alignment with frameworks such as GRI, TCFD, CSRD, and SASB
Tools like sustainability reporting platforms, procurement systems, energy dashboards, and IT asset management solutions can help capture and visualise these indicators.