How IBM, Nokia & Amazon Supercharge Sustainability With Data
IBM: Embedding sustainability into enterprise technology
IBM is harnessing AI, clean energy sources and data analytics to push forward sustainability objectives, cut emissions and fuel innovations.
IBM's 2024 Annual Report showcases the company's dedication to environmental responsibility through the deployment of cutting-edge AI, data analytics and hybrid cloud technologies.
At the heart of IBM's methodology lies sustainability analytics woven into its software and consulting services, which enable businesses to measure, manage and curtail their environmental footprint.
The report spotlights IBM's AI-driven solutions – such as the Envizi platform and Maximo Application Suite – which streamline asset lifecycle management and emissions monitoring to facilitate sustainable operations.
IBM emphasises the critical role of harnessing AI and data to enhance resource efficiency throughout supply chains, facilities and IT infrastructure, as these technologies enable intelligent decision-making, environmental risk evaluation and automation, assisting clients to reach sustainability targets whilst strengthening operational resilience.
IBM's sustainability approach is woven into its hybrid cloud and AI growth sectors, with substantial investments in R&D and acquisitions to develop sustainable technology capabilities.
The company proactively assists clients in implementing sustainability programmes through consulting knowledge combined with technology platforms enriched with AI governance and hybrid cloud adaptability.
Sustainability is not just a feel-good word here, it is in our DNA
Amazon: Quantifying environmental progress with precision
Amazon's sustainability report outlines the company's AI-powered environmental strategy, with analytics monitoring advancement on EV rollouts, plastic minimisation and ESG targets.
Amazon's 2024 Sustainability Report showcases an extensively quantitative and analytics-focused methodology for measuring and overseeing its ESG performance.
The primary analytical focus revolves around separating business expansion from emissions, emphasised by its core performance metric: carbon intensity.
In 2024, this measure dropped to 72.6g CO₂e/$GMS.
Amazon's evaluation of its sustainability path reveals the company's advancement despite a marginal increase in total emissions.
The report's precise metrics for monitoring resource usage and social influence serve as vital indicators of this trend, with 1.5 billion packages transported by more than 31,400 electric vehicles and a 16.4% worldwide decrease in single-use plastic delivery packaging.
A fundamental element of its approach involves deploying AI for sustainability analytics to drive innovation.
Amazon details in the report its use of AI to streamline packaging dimensions, minimise returns through enhanced sizing guidance, pinpoint energy inefficiencies in its activities and spot water leaks.
This is complemented by detailed data monitoring, such as the Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.15 for its AWS data centres.
The report's analytics encompass its Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, demonstrating how analytics serve as a fundamental driver of strategic decisions for operational efficiency and resilience at Amazon.
Sustainability is not separate from our customer obsession – it's an extension of it
Nokia: Why product efficiency is at the centre of decarbonisation
Informed by new EU regulations, Nokia's most recent sustainability report reveals that 95% of its emissions stem from product usage, shaping its emphasis on energy efficiency and innovation.
Nokia's 2024 Sustainability Statement is structured around the rigorous analytical demands of the new EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), founded on a "double materiality assessment" to recognise and prioritise essential ESG topics.
A vital analytical discovery shaping its strategy is that 95% of its overall greenhouse gas emissions originate from the operation of its sold products (Scope 3).
This data insight directs the company's attention to enhancing the energy efficiency of its technology as the most significant decarbonisation mechanism.
The report includes forward-thinking analytics, presenting a comprehensive net zero roadmap to 2040 which calculates the anticipated emissions reductions from multiple initiatives, including product energy efficiency and supply chain enhancements.
Performance is measured against a science-based objective to reduce Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by half by 2030 from a 2019 baseline, with analytics indicating a 36% reduction already accomplished by 2024.
Digital technologies underpin critical aspects of our lives, but we have a responsibility to ensure the cost of these benefits is not paid for by future generations
Nokia also expands its analytical capacity to its customers, providing a Private Wireless Sustainability Calculator to assist enterprises in quantifying their own environmental benefits, promoting innovation and resilience throughout its value chain.
Executives
Christina Shim
Chief Sustainability Officer
Kara H. Hurst
Vice President, CSO, Worldwide Sustainability
Subhagata Mukherjee
Vice President, Global Head of Sustainability
