Almost 60% of manufacturing businesses have considered how IT can help them be more sustainable, according to new industry research. The research, which was carried out by leading IT provider, Digital Space, surveyed over 1,000 representatives, to highlight the valuable role IT has in reducing corporate environmental impact.

Almost 60% of manufacturing businesses have considered how IT can help them be more sustainable, according to new industry research.

The research, which was carried out by leading IT provider, Digital Space, surveyed over 1,000 representatives, to highlight the valuable role IT has in reducing corporate environmental impact.

The findings found that 59% of manufacturers had already considered the correlation between sustainable IT and scalable business growth, while 67% considered how IT providers can help their organisation become more sustainable.

Public cloud, for instance, is 80% more carbon and energy efficient than running infrastructure in a data centre, while SD-WAN promotes re-use and remanufactured laptops can provide cheaper and greener options for users.

Tim Lancaster, Managing Director of Cloud at Digital Space, said: "While our sustainability report has shown that manufacturing professionals want to be more sustainable and believe that IT can reduce carbon emissions, it has also demonstrated some reluctance to take sustainable action.

"Despite recognising the importance of technology in achieving company-wide sustainable targets, IT professionals have been deterred by associated costs with only 7% revealing that cost was not an important factor. Our advice here would be to look at the long-term savings and goals. When considering pay-as-you go tariffs, re-use and employee productivity, especially from cloud technologies, organisations will benefit from cost savings as well as increased sustainability."

Other key takeaways from the report included:
• 66% of respondents operating in Manufacturing and Engineering advised their industry competitors proactively showcase their own sustainability agenda.
• Just under one third [31%] advised sustainability is already a key component of their product offering.
• Only 40% advised their sustainability agenda is driven by customer expectations.
• 47% advised the focus on reducing their carbon footprint is already affecting their use of IT, with 29% revealing they expect their use of IT to be impacted within the next 3 years.
• 31% of respondents operating in the Manufacturing and Engineering sector advised most staff work on a hybrid basis, dividing their time between the office and home, whereas 18% advised staff continue to work on site, five days per week.
• 59% of respondents advised their senior leadership team considered the correlation between sustainable IT and scalable business growth.
• 67% have considered how their IT provider could help their organisation become more sustainable.
Headquartered in Newark-on-Trent, Digital Space is a leading technology platform and solutions provider. Born from managed services provider, Timico, the brand announced its own transformation into a cloud-first provider in June 2021, following multiple acquisitions of lead cloud practices, including Arcus Cloud Services.

Now focused on enabling change for its customers through its own asset-backed platform, Digital Space boasts a leading client portfolio with key customers including Burger King, St John Ambulance and Harrods Aviation.