62% of Australian orgs have a carbon neutrality plan

More than six in 10 (62%) Australian companies have developed plans for achieving carbon neutrality, but this is well below the global average of 72%, according to a new global report from Hitachi Vantara.

The report found that just 68% of Australian enterprises have advanced plans for achieving net zero carbon emissions, compared to 77% of businesses globally.

When asked about the biggest obstacles to achieving sustainability goals, 45% of Australian respondents cited the lack of a sustainability strategy and implementation plan, with 41% reporting struggling to keep up with regulations. Meanwhile one in three noted that they still lack adequate access to critical sustainability data.

The primary drivers of organisations’ sustainability goals include ethical obligations (56%), compliance with regulations (47%) and meeting environmental expectations (41%).

But 57% of Australian organisations said their data centre footprint had not changed at all in the past two years, and 44% expect the carbon footprint of their data centre to either stay the same or increase in the next two years.

On the other hand, half of Australian respondents reported that they have adopted the latest technological solutions for reducing their data centre’s carbon footprint, with 41% shifting to alternative energy sources and 40% in the process of decarbonising their data centre.

Hitachi Vantara Australia and New Zealand VP and Managing Director Nathan Knight said the findings underscore the imperative for Australian organisations to establish a concrete strategy and implementation plan with buy-in from the C-suite.

“To get to net zero goals as set out by federal and state governments, this global survey suggests that Australian businesses are in catch-up mode compared to their global peers in their sustainability efforts,” he said.

“Data centres consume large amounts of electricity and account for 4% of the total greenhouse emissions worldwide. Yet only 36% of Australian businesses believe that eco-friendly data centre is a top priority in reducing carbon emissions.”

Image credit: iStock.com/Sakorn Sukkasemsakorn