Three-quarters of UK business leaders (72%) say they are stressed over sustainability targets and the pressure to reach net zero, according to research by BT.
While around half of businesses (56%) are optimistic about hitting their sustainability goals, the BT study also showed that just a fifth (22%) plan to invest in sustainable technology this year – including circular IT, like refurbished or remanufactured computers.
As the UK government announces new climate goals, including reducing emissions by 81% by 2035, a quarter (23%) of businesses have said they feel pressure to adopt technologies that support their net zero objectives. At the same time, two-in-five senior executives admit the stress of choosing the right technology has led to ‘investment paralysis’, which could slow the pace of change.
To help tackle this tech anxiety, BT is introducing innovations to enable businesses to work smarter and use digital connectivity to meet their sustainability goals – from investing in more efficient digital infrastructure to introducing new carbon measurement tech to understand energy use.
Amongst these innovations is BT’s Carbon Network Dashboard, which gives businesses an oversight of their digital carbon footprint: the energy use and carbon emissions produced by their network and data centre equipment. The tool is designed to help customers balance performance with electricity costs and carbon emissions to keep them on the right track for sustainable growth.
BT’s upgraded Dashboard can show customers how specific applications are consuming energy. This includes data-hungry AI tools – helping businesses understand how increasing their reliance on tech impacts their carbon footprint.
BT is also building efficiency into its fixed and mobile networks, moving from legacy infrastructure like analogue copper landlines and 3G to modern, digital networks like 5G and full-fibre broadband, which are less energy intensive. Moving customers away from the historic Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is expected to reduce the UK’s energy consumption by 90GWh by the end of 2025 – enough to power 24,000 households for an entire year.
BT Group has also rolled out ‘cell sleep’ technology across its EE mobile sites, which uses Machine Learning to rest 4G masts when they’re not in use, saving energy at times of reduced network demand. The technology is expected to deliver significant energy savings of 4.5m KWh per year across EE’s estate. Cell sleep and other network efficiency measures are part of BT Group’s goal to hit net zero by the end of March 2031.
“As environmental, commercial and political pressure builds, sustainability isn’t a nice to have; it’s business critical,” said Sarwar Khan, Sustainability Director – Business at BT. “Tech can be a tool to help businesses tackle climate challenges, but it’s not a silver bullet – and our research tells us that anxiety around where and how to invest is holding organisations back.
“With data use continuing to soar in the AI age, our job is to show customers that when it comes to digital sustainability, we’ve got their back. We’re building efficiency into our networks from the ground up, and layering on the tools to help businesses understand how technology impacts their energy use – so that scaling up their digital footprint doesn’t have to mean scaling up their carbon footprint.”
