A new survey from Irish IT services provider Auxilion and supported by Hewlett Packard Enterprise, has revealed that enterprises in Ireland are spending, on average, just over €1.3M annually on green technology.
This equates to an overall spend of nearly €1B across Iarger companies and enterprises in Ireland.
The study – carried out by Censuswide and involving more than 100 IT decision-makers in enterprises (250+ employees) across Ireland – found that nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) of enterprises are already using green tech, with Ireland 11 per cent ahead of their counterparts in the UK in terms of adoption of green technology.
It further revealed that 91 per cent have already or will invest in AI-driven sustainability solutions within the next two years. Some 82 per cent of respondents said that AI has a significant role to play in helping to meet sustainability targets.
Cloud computing was also highlighted as a key sustainability asset, with 78 per cent of IT leaders saying the technology is important for achieving ESG goals. Compared to similar Auxilion research carried out in 2023, this year also saw a 12 per cent increase in companies implementing cloud for its environmental benefits (71 per cent versus 83 per cent).
Overall, the increasing importance of sustainability is not lost on today’s IT decision makers, with 86 per cent agreeing that they consider it key to business growth, while 77 per cent said it is a key differentiator when choosing a vendor. The research also showed that sustainability is currently a priority for more organisations than it was a year ago with a similar sample – rising from 75 per cent to 83 per cent.
Furthermore, operating sustainably is becoming a huge difference-maker when it comes to talent. Two in five (40per cent) IT leaders said they would leave their current role to work for a company that is known for leading on sustainability, while 81 per cent agreed that it is crucial for recruitment and retention.
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Commenting on the results, Auxilion CTO Donal Sullivan said: “As shown by this research and our recently released report, it is really positive to see organisations putting their money where their mouth is by investing in green technology to help the environment and reduce their carbon footprints. With sustainability only set to grow in importance across the value chain, businesses also need to leverage technologies – from AI to cloud – and service providers which enable them to support their sustainability goals and meet targets.
“Going green also makes business sense in terms of attracting customers and talent, thus driving growth and futureproofing operations. As we move steadily towards a more environmentally conscious era of doing business and where a failure to be eco-friendly could cause businesses to lose out, we expect the investment in green technology to rise even further. However, organisations need to be smart when it comes to this investment to ensure they get the real value of and can make a real impact with these technologies.”
