Only half of respondents to survey of UK IT leaders say their business recycles hardware and waste

83 per cent of respondents to Brother UK survey said that operating more sustainably is a key part of their plans over the next two years

Just over half of respondents to a survey of 500 UK IT leaders said they currently recycle waste, but more than four in five say that operating more sustainably is a key part of their plans moving forward.

The survey was conducted by print vendor Brother UK, with just 51 per cent of the IT leads stating that they currently recycle waste, while only 43 per cent use refurbished or recycled hardware and less a third (32 per cent) choose tech and IT solutions that are energy efficient.

But 83 per cent of respondents said that operating more sustainably is a key part of their plans over the next two years.

Liam Fitzgerald, head of distribution and reseller sales at Brother UK, said: "The findings show that enhancing sustainability will be high on the agenda for IT leads when it comes to purchasing decisions, from the products they buy and how they procure them to the green initiatives they can access.

"This presents resellers with a significant opportunity to provide added value to customer relationships, by understanding where they can cut the amount of waste they produce and energy their equipment consumes to provide the right solutions.

"We're committed to helping our partners reduce the environmental impact of customer print fleets and managed print services represent an effective route to achieving this.

"It enables businesses to monitor the supplies they use more effectively and reduces the unnecessary consumption of paper, toner, ink and energy."

A quarter of IT leads said they felt guilty that they could not prioritise more resource on making their operations more environmentally friendly, while 64 per cent of respondents felt that they are not accountable to support the businesses they work for in operating more sustainably.

However, 92 per cent of the IT professionals surveyed said their businesses are working towards ESG targets, such as the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, and a large proportion of the respondents also said that delivering new cost efficiencies (87 per cent), enhancing security (87 per cent) and building resilience (84 per cent) were key priorities alongside boosting sustainability.