Barco ClickShare Survey Reveals IT Leaders Struggling with Sustainability Goals Due to Lack of Support

Barco ClickShare Survey Reveals IT Leaders Struggling with Sustainability Goals Due to Lack of Support

(IN BRIEF) Barco ClickShare’s recent survey reveals a significant gap between IT leaders’ personal commitment to sustainability and the lack of organizational support to achieve decarbonisation goals. Despite 98% of IT leaders setting sustainability KPIs, challenges such as leadership indifference, a lack of information about sustainable solutions, and difficulties in integrating green technologies hinder progress. While sustainability certifications are a priority for purchasing decisions, complexities in measuring ROI and integrating new solutions remain key obstacles. The survey highlights the need for better support from C-suite executives to drive sustainability within IT operations. Barco’s findings suggest that early investment in sustainable technology can help organizations improve their environmental impact while boosting competitiveness.

(PRESS RELEASE) KORTRIJK, 29-Jan-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — A new survey by Barco ClickShare, a global leader in meeting room technology solutions, has unveiled key obstacles IT professionals face in driving sustainability within their organizations. Despite 98% of IT leaders setting sustainability KPIs, leadership indifference and difficulties in integrating sustainable solutions into existing systems are slowing meaningful progress.

The findings underscore a disconnect between the personal commitment of IT leaders to sustainability and the lack of organizational support for these efforts. While 61% of respondents strongly agree that the IT department should lead the charge on sustainability, more than half (56%) of IT leaders believe they are the primary advocates for IT sustainability in their companies.

Key statistics from the survey include:

• 61% of IT leaders agree that their department should be the driving force behind sustainability goals.
• Over half (56%) feel they are the only ones within their organization pushing for sustainability initiatives.
• 94% of IT purchasing decisions require multi-stakeholder approval, with 49% requiring the C-suite’s involvement.
• Leading challenges include a lack of information about sustainable options (37%), difficulty measuring sustainability ROI (34%), and the complexity of integrating sustainable solutions with existing systems (44%).

While global sustainability initiatives and ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) reporting place increasing pressure on businesses to adopt greener practices, IT leaders are struggling to align sustainability goals with day-to-day operations. The survey highlights a significant disconnect: despite multi-stakeholder involvement in purchasing decisions, only 15% of respondents felt that C-suite executives prioritize sustainability in IT—suggesting that leadership commitment to sustainability is lacking at the highest levels.

Sustainability certifications were found to be a top priority for IT leaders in purchasing decisions, ranking alongside security and cost. However, challenges persist in identifying sustainable solutions, with 37% of decision-makers reporting a lack of information on available options. Furthermore, the complexity of integrating these solutions into existing IT systems (44%) and the difficulty of measuring the ROI of sustainable initiatives (34%) remain key deterrents.

As organizations invest in AI and other initiatives that could inadvertently increase their carbon footprints, IT leaders identified opportunities for improvement, such as enhancing energy efficiency in IT operations (57%) and raising employee awareness about IT sustainability (46%). The survey revealed that 65% of IT leaders prioritize purchasing equipment with sustainability certifications to meet their KPIs, followed by extending the lifecycle of IT hardware through maintenance and upgrades (61%) and focusing on energy efficiency (54%).

“The results of the survey demonstrate a clear need for better internal support and a stronger commitment from leadership to elevate sustainability within IT operations,” said Dan Root, Head of Global Strategic Alliances at Barco. “For meaningful progress, vendors must provide clear assessments that communicate the environmental and operational impacts of sustainable technologies, such as power consumption, and collaborate on seamless integrations that fit within existing software ecosystems.”

For a comprehensive look at Barco’s survey of 500 enterprise IT decision-makers in the U.S., conducted in October 2024, visit the blog, “Everyday IT Decisions Can Drive Environmental Progress, or Hold It Back.”

About Barco

Barco, headquartered in Kortrijk (Belgium), is a global company leading in visualization, networking, and collaboration technology. Its innovative solutions drive advancements in the healthcare, enterprise, and entertainment markets. At the heart of Barco’s success are over 3,000 dedicated ‘visioneers’, each passionately contributing to driving change through technology.

Listed on Euronext (BAR), Reuters (BARBt.BR), and Bloomberg (BAR BB), Barco realized sales of 1,050 million euro in 2023. For further insights, please visit www.barco.com or connect on X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.

Media Contact:

Yannic Laleeuwe
Marketing Director, Meeting Experience
+32 473 869453
yannic.laleeuwe@barco.com

SOURCE: Barco