How Data Management Creates Environmental Sustainability Challenges

Secure data storage and destruction services are paramount for enterprises in every industry. IT storage solutions and asset disposition could directly impact an organization's environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) practices, especially as governments across the globe ramp up reporting requirements for emissions.

A new study from software company Blancco Technology Group explored perceptions related to sustainable end-of-life (EOL) data management and Scope 3 emissions measurement in the healthcare and financial services sectors. 

"While the scale of change required to address the climate crisis may seem daunting, it is an opportunity for ambitious climate action and even competitive differentiation," commented Jon Mellon, Blancco's president of global sales, marketing and field operations. "Businesses can’t afford to pay lip service to sustainability with impending regulation coupled with the financial and environmental costs of storing too much data."

Mellon added that "significant risks to security" make it crucial for organizations to introduce methods to secure data while aligning themselves with sustainability goals.

The majority, or 88 percent, of the 1,800 businesses Blancco surveyed indicated that environmental sustainability has a "high to moderate" influence on their data procedures. However, fewer than half, 39 percent, have yet to put a plan in place to reduce their data footprint, which opens them up to compliance failures once governments set reporting requirements.

"The scale of change can seem daunting when faced with addressing a global climate crisis," Blancco stated in the report. "But these regulatory changes can also be seen as an opportunity for ambitious climate action (and even competitive market differentiation). Being ambitious means looking into every part of a business and beyond—including its supply chain—to see where emissions can be reduced."

Blancco's findings come just after a Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report noting the importance of climate action and the urgency of governments to set sustainability reporting regulations to cut emissions to pre-industrial levels.

While 85 percent of respondents confirmed measurement of Scope 3 emissions, only 58 percent have asked their data services provider how it is reducing the environmental impact of cloud storage solutions. Fewer than half, or 35 percent, of companies surveyed said they do not trust their provider to manage their end-of-life data. 

"Organizations can no longer afford to pay lip service to sustainability. Greenwashing will come under intense scrutiny by regulators who will want to show that their regulation has teeth," Blancco concluded. "Fortunately, many businesses are keen to make sustainability a key plank in their future strategy. The main issues they will face will be ensuring that all parts of their businesses are covered by their strategy, that suppliers can provide the information they require, and that different parts of the business can communicate what needs to change and how best to change it."