--- title: Why software at the heart of all organisation's green mission. type: newsletter date: 2022-09-01 source: linkedin summary: Digital has changed the way organizations operate and how people live and work. Sustainability is the next wave of transformation that will have a profound impact on all organizations and, of course, our planet. Indeed, Julie Sweet, Accenture’s CEO, describes… newsletter: Technology Bytes draft: false --- Digital has changed the way organizations operate and how people live and work. Sustainability is the next wave of transformation that will have a profound impact on all organizations and, of course, our planet. Indeed, Julie Sweet, Accenture’s CEO, describes sustainability as “the new digital." And that’s very much the theme underpinning the work of the [Green Software Foundation](https://greensoftware.foundation/) (co-founded by Accenture, Microsoft, Thoughtworks and Github in 2021). The foundation aims to create an ecosystem of people, standards, tools and frameworks. Its goal? To accelerate all organizations’ adoption of sustainability as a key principle of developing and using software. Software is at the heart of all technology. Across its lifecycle, from design to development and deployment, software has a significant impact on the environmental performance of hardware and digital services. Organizations realize this. But [Accenture research](https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/technology/uniting-technology-sustainability) shows that many of them face challenges to act on optimizing software’s environmental impact across its whole lifecycle. So, I was delighted to speak at and listen in to discussions at the [Green Software Foundation’s Europe Summit](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_jdagqYrbc) between leaders from the technology sector and industry. One session set out to explore the actions that large organizations are taking — and the challenges they face — to accelerate their own green software agenda. Here’s what for me were some of the most interesting and useful takeaways from some fascinating discussions. **Manage what you measure** One of the significant challenges facing large organizations is how to measure the impact of all their digital services. While there are already tools that assess the carbon emissions of websites, for example, we heard that reliably doing the same for the thousands of digital services that many organizations operate is highly complex. Crucially, too, it’s vital to assess the impact of those digital services across their whole lifecycle — from design to retirement — a key observation that [our research](https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/technology/uniting-technology-sustainability) also highlights. **Think bigger** Developing and sharing relevant metrics and reference frameworks helps organizations understand where they are starting from as they set their environmental goals. Measurement precedes management. Helping to set those standards for measurement is a key element of the Green Software Foundation’s work. That way, organizations can focus their energy on reducing carbon, not disagreeing about how to measure it. But as one speaker pointed out, organizations also need to think beyond their own operations. That means both understanding the impact that their suppliers and partners have and finding ways to help them reduce the overall carbon footprint of entire ecosystems. One way to do this? Influencing suppliers by asking them to document their environmental performance in bids and proposals.  When sustainability features in technology buying decisions, it starts to become a source of competitive advantage. And that will push suppliers to improve their environmental performance. But more broadly, large organizations are also using their influence and reach to help educate and train others. Microsoft, for example, offers free online courses in sustainable software development. And Accenture has created and implemented training in sustainable software engineering practices for more than 70,000 of our own developers. **Data intelligence** Making sure that all organizations raise the visibility of the right data to inform their decision-making is essential, too. We heard how reliable data intelligence can provide essential visibility and transparency into environmental footprints. Unifying and automating data collection and management can help create the insights business leaders need to guide, refine and scale their sustainability initiatives. Helping and inspiring people to make a positive contribution also counts for a lot, as one speaker said. Simply introducing the subject of sustainability in a software development meeting can encourage others to raise their voice. And that can be a very effective way to drive change in all organizations. **Technology’s wider green role** It’s clear to me from the discussions that the technology decisions organizations make have a huge impact on their environmental footprint. By moving to cloud, for example, companies can reduce their energy consumption and associated carbon emissions by nearly 80% when compared to traditional data centers. And, while sustainability of software applications is a valid goal, it’s also, we heard, often the case that sustainable apps are more performant and resilient. But technology’s role in achieving broader environmental goals across operations is also crucial. In that context, I was very interested to hear about a Belgian study of four of the country’s most carbon-intensive sectors: manufacturing, buildings, mobility and energy. The study found that the carbon savings potential of digital technology in these sectors by 2030 would be **five-times greater** than the total carbon footprint of the technologies themselves. Overall, large organizations are serious about making progress toward improving the environmental impact of the technology they use and how they use it. 100% of the respondents to [Accenture’s survey](https://www.accenture.com/_acnmedia/PDF-177/Accenture-Tech-Sustainability-uniting-Sustainability-and-Technology.pdf#zoom=40) agree that technology is critical to sustainability, and all rank technology as important or very important to achieving their sustainability goals. But as many participants at the summit acknowledged, there’s a long way to go. It’s by working together as an ecosystem that the best solutions will arise. Climate change does not recognize any borders. And nor should the software solutions that companies develop to address it. It was fascinating and stimulating to hear about the strides that organizations are taking to put green software at the heart of their sustainability initiatives. If you’d like to hear more about the vital role that green software is playing to help organizations address their sustainability goals, please tune in to the [latest episode of our podcast series, Sustainability, powered by technology](https://bit.ly/gswpodcast). I’m joined by a leading authority, Ziliang Zong, Professor of the Computer Science Department at Texas State University, to discuss the impact and implications of green software on sustainable business. **#greensoftware** Green Software Foundation **#sustainabilty** **#esg**