Vendors MUST step up on sustainability

Why now, more than ever, competition needs to be put aside by the major IT players.

Today I'm feeling inspired, yet angry at the same time.

First, to deal with the inspired part.

I have just returned from literally one of the best vendor events I have ever been to - the inaugural in-person Lenovo 360 Circle Summit in Brussels.

Sustainability is such an enormous topic at the moment and it is getting bigger, but it is all very well talking about it - we need actual action. Our industry has overtaken the airline industry in terms of carbon emissions and we have a duty of care to our planet and to future generations.

Some may say travelling to a sustainability event is perhaps the wrong thing to do, but this issue needs face-to-face discussions as well as virtual. And I did take the Eurostar (a two-hour delay returning to the UK was most unwelcome!).

The first reason I was impressed with Lenovo's event is its honesty. It knows that it has a lot of work to do (haven't we all?), but it is determined to not only hit its own net zero goals, but to bring its channel partners along for the ride as well. It was extremely clear how much Lenovo values its channel throughout the event.

There were hints at sustainability accreditations for channel partners to help them win more deals, it is openly publishing its own ESG report, has formulated a Scope 3 Action Plan, and it acknowledged the importance of the ‘S' and ‘G' part of ESG. Plus much more.

To bring balance to the event so it wasn't a total lovefest, Steve Brazier, CEO of Canapii, and his Canalys colleagues Rachel Brindley and Elsa Jasmine Nightingale, also shared some startling figures and stats about how the IT industry is actually increasing emissions thanks to AI and its insatiable appetite for datacentre power, and how greenwashing is growing at an alarming rate. It certainly makes you think.

Canalys also said that more focus needs to be made on the business case for circular IT - it can boost gross margins and is definitely one of the answers to how our industry can profit from sustainability, but calls for legislation around circular will increase. We need to get a proper grip on it and we need the vendors to lead the way.

Back to Lenovo, and the second reason the event was so good in my humble opinion. There was no heavy pitching at all - something that is guaranteed to make most people instantly switch off. We didn't have to sit through endless presentations from Lenovo execs saying how wonderful the company and its products are - what a refreshing change!

Thirdly, Lenovo made a big deal of showcasing its partners and getting their opinions on what needs to be done to achieve Net Zero targets, whether through panels, or numerous breakout sessions designed to get people talking. And it really did. People want to talk about this issue and they want to make a difference.

But this is where my angry head comes in.

One of the most frequent pieces of partner feedback at the event was that they need ALL the vendors, namely the major OEMs, to come together on this matter and agree a common set of sustainability standards that will make life a lot easier for the partners selling their products and solutions.

The channel is literally crying out for vendors to step up to the plate and take action.

At the moment, every vendor has their own internal standards, and ways of measuring emissions which in turn creates data that isn't coherent, and ends up causing confusion. Businesses have enough confusion dealing with environmental legislation without another layer added by the vendors.

WE CANNOT DO THIS ALONE AND IN SILOS. THIS ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH!

The industry, and particularly vendors, need to put competition aside for once and come together for the common good. This issue is bigger than just one company. We have one planet and all the profit in the world won't matter if our planet can no longer sustain life. We can't breathe or eat money.

We are at a tipping point with climate change and action is needed now more than ever.

So, who really does have the guts to put everything aside for the greater good? At CRN we are creating an independent platform (coming VERY soon) - the Sustainability in Tech Community Platform - to be the vehicle to do just that. We are in.

I know for a fact that Lenovo would be willing to sit down with its biggest competitors and start talking. But it seems many others are still far too arrogant to even consider this as an option. And the blockages are all at the top because within most vendors there are some brilliant and passionate people desperate to make change happen.

So, this is a call to action. Let's make this happen. And sooner, rather than later.

Who's in?!