Fabiana Batistela, Chief Marketing Officer, EVOX Global, explains that people are increasingly dedicated to understanding the impact of their actions. According to her, this new requirement has led to a significant technological transformation.
Among the many global transformations that have taken place in recent years, one issue that certainly deserves attention is the change in how people view the world. Today, consumers, professionals and citizens are much more concerned and dedicated to understanding the impact of our actions on the planet. This new demand, in turn, has brought about a significant and crucial transformation in companies’ routines, driving the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) agenda as an essential part of corporate strategic plans.
The point, however, is that the sustainability discourse is no longer enough. It is increasingly necessary to invest in ways to apply and measure sustainability and governance initiatives, among others – and it is precisely at this point that technology is assuming a vital role in companies.
According to the Global Tech Compass 2023 Survey, over 80% of Brazilian consumers consider technology crucial in creating more sustainable products, services and companies. However, the analysis, which aims to map people’s perception of the use of technology in combating climate change, indicates that nearly 60% of respondents in Brazil believe that companies are doing less than they can to attract, develop and implement technological resources that help them align with ESG sustainability goals.
It is necessary to reverse this perception for several reasons. The first is the image that brands form with their audiences. Another reason to make the ESG agenda a business indicator is that it is increasingly essential for attracting investment.
For example, an EY study indicated that sustainability and management issues drive 99% of investors in Brazil, especially concerning meeting targets and problems related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
To move forward on this journey, executives and leaders must find ways to put ESG initiatives into practice and, in addition, find ways to measure the impact of their actions. In this scenario, new technologies are undoubtedly an indispensable driver, bringing targeted innovation and actual capacity to measure points such as carbon footprint, social promotion, privacy and data protection.
This process requires companies to be open to being agile and capable of absorbing and adopting trends, as well as creating tools within the main languages and mechanisms of the digital era.
Another fundamental dimension is to put people at the center of strategies, observing what makes every stakeholder live easily, more practical, efficient or simply better. In other words, solutions are necessary to translate speech into practice and actions into certified and truly relevant results for the world.
In a dynamic, complex and highly demanding environment like the current one, it is strongly recommended, for IT and business leaders, to pay attention to new developments, implementing or incorporating resources that not only optimize the productivity of their companies but also observe the ability of these tools to add value and credibility to their brands.
The focus on ESG can no longer only talk. We have to move forward and evolve. We also have to understand that each organization is at a different stage. Just as it happened in the early days of Digital Transformation, companies move at different paces. While one learns the concept and begins its journey, another may be at a more complex and mature point of the subject journey. What does not change, however, is the fact that technology can help.
One way, for example, is to bring companies closer to startups, bringing what is new in the market to complement or enhance activity. Similarly, it is possible to include solutions that will help show where and how each operation impacts the world and how it can start working for a better planet, whether by maximizing its positive impacts or reducing the consumption of natural resources.
In this process, what is clear is that the first step is the most important. Evolution will not happen in closed silos, in isolation. The more we work collaboratively, simplifying processes, the better the results of companies in their ESG initiatives and the further the innovations developed in companies will go. What is at stake is the real construction of a more sustainable, profitable and efficient reality.