The actions we take as individuals or as enterprises have a significant cumulative influence on society. And the COVID-19 pandemic has very clearly brought home how vulnerable our communities and their systems really are. As a global technology organization, Fujitsu is very aware of how it has a role to play here too. We are committed to going further than reducing our impact on the environment - we also seek to use our influence to create positive effects beyond our immediate operations. That’s why we constantly strive to create real business and social value through the technology solutions we develop.
We have a declared purpose “to make the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation”. This has led to the introduction of new non-financial indicators to evaluate everything we do, including activities that affect our customers, our employees and our partner ecosystem. We are committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) designed to address the global challenges we face, including poverty, inequality and climate change. And this intention extends to the organizations we do business with – we aim to use our influence to encourage sustainable and responsible business practices throughout our supply chains and ecosystems, to magnify the total change we can affect collectively.
The great news is that we’re not alone. Business interest in sustainability is growing across all sectors, not only as it’s the right thing to do but also because companies are being held increasingly accountable for the choices they make. It has been widely reported that Millennials and Gen Z are far more committed to sustainability than previous generations. Their preferences on everything - from what they buy to where they work and how they leverage their spending power - are causing businesses to evaluate the impact they have on society. That’s quite an incentive – but for any businesses that require more to engage on this agenda, many countries are currently working on establishing regulations to enforce and hit new, more rigorous environmental targets.
These factors contribute to greater scrutiny of all aspects of business and will increasingly help improve organizations’ bottom lines. According to a recent announcement by analyst firm Gartner: “CFOs who improve their organization’s environmental, social and governance reporting to investors will enjoy improved access to capital, stock performance, and customer loyalty.”
The Channel Opportunity
In Fujitsu’s view, this growing focus on sustainability and responsible business practices also creates significant opportunities for channel partners. However, not all may yet be ready to take advantage of the exciting sales potential we see here. According to channel-focused analysts at Canalys, only 46% of channel partners state that they are either likely or extremely likely to generate revenue from sustainability solutions in 2021. (Source Candefero quick poll March 2021).
However, for those ready to focus on delivering sustainable solutions – Fujitsu has them covered. Based on a belief that digital transformation is a crucial opportunity for sustainability, our products and solutions – the building blocks for transformation - are as sustainable as possible across their entire lifecycles. Steps that Fujitsu is taking to enhance the sustainability of its portfolio include:
- Reducing CO2 emissions - approximately 90% of the Fujitsu Group’s total greenhouse gas emissions are related to CO2 generated from energy consumption. Consequently, significant effort is being focused on energy-saving measures, such as reviewing manufacturing processes and innovating to drive down energy consumption in our manufacturing processes, and developing green production technologies.
- Our data center solutions are designed with efficiency in mind – for example, energy-efficient Fujitsu PRIMERGY servers significantly reduce the need for air-conditioning and minimize energy consumption.
- An assessment of the carbon footprint associated with individual products.
- Fujitsu is also working on plans for a Plant A Tree Program – where we will plant a tree for every PRIMERGY system sold in Europe. We’re currently working to find the right partner for us to work with here and we hope to have an update soon on the plans – stay tuned!
As previous Fujitsu SELECT Innovation Awards demonstrate, many of our channel partners already have a strong track record delivering customer solutions that contribute towards meeting the UN SDGs. For example, in 2016, SELECT partner Cutter delivered an innovative digital transformation of four Oxford Partnership schools in Saudi Arabia, which now offer unprecedented educational opportunities for young women. Cutter scooped another SELECT Innovation Award in 2020 with a transformational project in a British school for blind and vision-impaired young people that has enabled the virtual lessons that students now rely on. Last year’s two other finalists, WestMedica and Napakeo, also delivered projects that addressed new healthcare/ well-being issues created by the COVID 19 pandemic.
To recognize and reward the growing interest in delivering sustainable solutions, this year’s SELECT Innovation Award judges are taking into account non-financial indicators such as contributions to the SDGs when evaluating projects. This additional consideration complements our existing strong focus on customer digital co-creation, so we look forward to seeing how our partners are innovating to deliver the solutions that customers need and benefit our broader society.
The time is now
Over the last year, many businesses felt compelled to put their interest in sustainability aside. They focused on business continuity and worked to adapt to the constantly shifting new normal. Now that we see increased business stability, their focus will return to delivering more sustainable solutions – not least because end-customers demand them. Technology represents the key to unlocking digital transformation for businesses and the solutions to many of the challenges that society faces today. At Fujitsu, we have the enabling technologies that ensure our partners are well placed to deliver the innovative solutions their customers need, underpinned by a solid foundation of sustainability. And we’re available to support them every step of the way. Ultimately, we can only successfully reduce the environmental impact of all our business activities and improve sustainability if we all work together. And by collaborating with a view to long-term mutual success, we create a positive cycle that delivers growth for all and more sustainable society as a whole
