Jan 29, 2025

Everyday IT decisions can drive environmental progress, or hold it back

15 min read

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ClickShare’s recent IT Sustainability research uncovers how IT leaders are pushing forward sustainability goals — and where they can make an even bigger impact in 2025.

Sustainability is a top priority across corporate America and, unsurprisingly, IT teams play an increasingly crucial role in reinforcing and better defining organizational sustainability commitments.

In fact, the vast majority of today’s IT leaders (96%) believe the IT department’s sustainability actions make a significant, positive contribution toward improving global sustainability. 

Sustainability isn’t limited to high-profile technology projects like AI’s high energy consumption or cloud deployments that support decarbonization either. While these concerns have certainly dominated headlines and leadership conversations over the past year, sustainability factors into everyday IT decisions about hardware and software purchases, too. 

At ClickShare, we wanted to learn more about the intersection of sustainability and IT decision-making at a granular level, including: 

  • How IT leaders are incorporating sustainability practices in their daily work
  • What barriers stand in the way of accomplishing top sustainability goals 
  • And where are there untapped opportunities for IT departments to champion small sustainability improvements that deliver a big impact 

So, we surveyed 500 IT decision-makers in the U.S. about their departments’ sustainability goals, practices, and sentiments. Here are three main takeaways from our research:

1. IT leaders are eager to champion sustainability. Can they bring more sustainability allies on board?  

IT leaders care deeply about their organization’s sustainability goals and their impact on improving global sustainability. Virtually all IT leaders (98%) agree IT departments should lead the way in achieving their company’s sustainability goals, and more than half (56%) believe they care the most about sustainability when compared to other groups at their organization. 

Sustainability is such an important part of their job that 82% of IT leaders say they would not accept a role at an organization that doesn’t have a track record of strong commitment to sustainability. 

Given these priorities, it’s no surprise sustainability ranks as one of IT leaders’ top considerations when purchasing hardware devices, just behind ever-important security concerns and tied with costs. 

Top 5 deciding factors when purchasing hardware and devices

No.1Security57%

 

Tie No.2 

Sustainability certifications
(e.g., Energy Star, TCO-certified, CarbonNeutral-certified)
39%
Cost39%
No.3Durability39%
No.4Network compatibility36%
No.5Ease of integration with current tech stack29%

IT teams may be quick to acknowledge their own sustainability leadership, but this important work requires partnership. When IT leaders try to tackle sustainable initiatives alone, they overlook sustainability allies crucial to building company-wide alignment, making progress on key goals, and delivering better experiences for employees.

And the reality is only 6% of respondents say their IT department is the sole decision-maker over IT investments — leaving 94% of organizations where IT leaders must collaborate with other stakeholders to purchase IT equipment aligned with sustainability goals.

Fortunately, there’s no shortage of potential allies to work alongside IT — from executive leaders and operations teams to sustainability and environmental affairs teams. In fact, sustainability and environmental affairs already have a bigger seat at the decision-making table than most other major departments, such as procurement and finance.

As IT teams work to purchase and integrate more technologies with sustainability at the center, they must more proactively leverage these cross-functional allies. 

Departments with decision-making power over IT equipment purchases

No. 1Executive Leadership
(e.g., CEO, CFO, CIO)
49%
No. 2Operations41%
No. 3Sustainability or Environmental Affairs36%
No. 4Procurement32%
No. 5Finance31%
No. 5Facilities Management29%
No. 6Human Resources26%
No. 7Supply Chain Management22%
No. 8Sales20%
No. 9Legal and Compliance19%

   

2. IT departments must work alongside vendors to solve critical challenges

Once partnerships are secured, a multitude of internal and external roadblocks still hinder IT departments from making progress on their sustainability goals. Let’s take a closer look at some areas where IT departments commonly face challenges:

Sourcing sustainable equipment

It’s often difficult for IT teams to find sustainable technology and equipment in the first place.

Across the board, IT leaders are struggling to source sustainable networking equipment like routers, switches, and modems (44%); mice, keyboards, and other computer accessories (33%); and data storage devices (33%).

Although vendors increasingly prioritize sustainability labels to help organizations identify sustainable choices, 95% of IT leaders say it’s still difficult to source sustainable options. In fact, around one-third of IT leaders point to lacking information about suitable equipment options and lacking time to explore sustainable equipment options as top challenges.

Implementing sustainable solutions

Even when IT leaders can find sustainable equipment, 92% face challenges implementing sustainable technology solutions.

Many of IT’s top implementation challenges involve internal factors, such as complexities integrating sustainable solutions with existing systems, concerns about security, and difficulties with measuring and tracking sustainability impact. This is another area where vendors can improve offerings to streamline integration and maintenance efforts.

Top 5 deciding factors when purchasing hardware and devices

No. 1Complexity of integrating sustainable solutions with existing systems44%
No. 2Security concerns42%
No. 3Lack of information about sustainable equipment options37%
No. 4Difficulty in measuring and tracking sustainability impact/proving ROI34%
TIE No. 5
 
Budget constraints32%
Lack of time to explore more sustainable equipment options32%
Regulatory or compliance hurdles32%
Achieving sustainable practices across operations

It proves challenging for IT leaders to integrate reliable sustainability practices into widespread company operations.

For example, despite the rising prioritization of sustainability goals, many IT leaders place recyclability and repairability toward the bottom of their priority list: Only 16% of IT leaders say repairability is a top consideration when making technology decisions, and just 11% said the same about recyclability.

These small choices have direct and large downstream consequences. More than one-third (34%) of IT leaders say their department sometimes fails to recycle devices, and 37% said that using a manufacturer’s device repair services depends on cost and timing.  This behavior gap leaves far too many instances where devices are prematurely disposed of rather than repaired or thrown away rather than properly recycled. When IT teams themselves set this type of poor example, other departments follow suit. 

Supporting remote/hybrid work environments

Remote and hybrid work have created additional sustainability needs: 95% of IT leaders said remote work has impacted IT sustainability efforts in some way at their company.

On the positive side, remote work has increased reliance on more energy-efficient cloud services compared to traditional on-premises servers, according to 63% of respondents. On the negative side, remote work has increased challenges in managing and recycling e-waste from remote locations (48%), while increased use of personal devices has affected control over energy-efficient hardware (46%).

3. IT leaders can’t overlook everyday improvements in their vision for a more sustainable future

IT leaders have a clear vision and goals for measuring the impact of their sustainability efforts. In fact, 98% of IT departments have already set specific KPIs for sustainability goals.

But while 57% of IT leaders believe their department’s sustainability KPIs are “very realistic” and take minimal effort and resources to meet, 4 in 10 (39%) say these goals are only “somewhat realistic” and require moderate effort and resources to achieve. There also appears to be a significant disconnect between top decision-makers and others in the IT department in this area: While 68% of IT leaders at the VP level and above believe their department’s sustainability KPIs are “very realistic,” only 63% of directors and 46% of managers said the same.

Modern office meeting room eco design, Eco-friendly creative office, Concept of environment protection.

How can IT leaders make tangible progress toward their sustainability goals — and what improvements are needed to get there?

Improving energy efficiency in IT operations was cited by 57% of IT leaders as the top area where their department could improve performance, while half (45%) said they need to focus on increasing employee awareness and engagement with IT sustainability.

However, with companies facing higher energy use driven by AI and new pressures to incorporate renewable energy sources, IT leaders must identify additional sustainability opportunities to stay on track with their goals. 

Top 5 deciding factors when purchasing hardware and devices

No.1 Improving energy efficiency in IT operations57%
No.2  Increasing employee awareness of and engagement with IT sustainability46%
No.3 Enhancing the use of renewable energy sources33%
No.4 Lowering operational costs through sustainable practices31%
No.5 Improving the organization's public image and brand reputation related to sustainability practices29%

To make progress on sustainability goals, nearly two-thirds (65%) of IT leaders say purchasing equipment with sustainability-related certifications is the top priority to achieve their department’s KPIs. That’s followed by extending the lifecycle of IT hardware through maintenance and upgrades (61%) and targets for increasing energy efficiency (54%).

These priorities are critical, but there are noticeable gaps where organizations are overlooking additional, more everyday sustainability efforts that stand to make a sizable impact.

For instance, less than half (42%) of IT leaders said selecting equipment that can be repaired by the manufacturer to extend its life is an important area to achieve their department sustainability KPIs, and 38% said the same about purchasing equipment that can be recycled at the end of its life.

Top 5 efforts to achieve sustainability KPIs

No.1 Purchasing equipment with sustainability-related certifications whenever possible (e.g., Energy Star, TCO certified, CarbonNeutral-certified)57%
No.2  Extending the lifecycle of IT hardware through maintenance and upgrades46%
No.3 Increasing energy efficiency by a specific amount33%
No.4 Selecting equipment that can be repaired by the manufacturer to extend its life31%
No.5 Measuring and reporting IT-related carbon footprint29%

If IT leaders are to achieve their department's ambitious goals — and lead the way with sustainability — they will need to think beyond sustainable purchasing. This lift should prioritize everyday improvements like repairs and recycling alongside larger-scale initiatives like improving energy efficiency and integrating renewable energy sources.

A bigger impact on sustainability is an everyday effort 

Everyday decisions around sustainability add up — and IT leaders are eager to translate their key priorities and daily work into measurable practices that deliver a significant, sustained impact.

And everyone has a role to play. On one hand, vendors will need to do a better job highlighting sustainable equipment options. On the other, IT departments must work to integrate sustainable practices into operations beyond initial tech purchases and integrations, including taking greater advantage of repair and recycling services.

Although IT departments are committed to improving sustainability, many still face a stark disconnect between their organization’s ESG goals and the steps necessary to achieve them. Bridging this gap will require IT leaders to work in lockstep with other sustainability allies across their organization to align on goals, integrate best practices, and drive strategic and sustainable technology investments.

These efforts don’t just impact global progress on sustainability, they also impact business goals and the bottom line. In fact, nine in 10 IT leaders (92%) say customers care about a company’s IT/back-office sustainability, not just the sustainability of a company’s products or services.

At ClickShare, we’re working towards a more sustainable future, one meeting room at a time. Our carbon-neutral video bars and wireless conferencing systems are designed to enhance engagement and productivity — empowering you to deliver a better experience for employees and a bigger impact on your sustainability goals.

Discover how ClickShare can help bring sustainability to your workplace. 

Methodology

In October 2024, ClickShare surveyed 500 IT decision-makers in the U.S. about sustainability goals, practices, and sentiment within the IT department. All respondents were full-time employees who held roles at the manager level and above at companies with more than 1,000 employees. At the time of the survey, all respondents were also aged 18 or older.

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