What’s Happening, and When

Breakfast briefing (Invite only)

Registration & Networking

Welcome

Presentation: The size of the ESG challenge

As companies announce their net zero or low carbon strategy, the direct role technology can play is often forgotten. IT contributes 2-3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and that will only rise as increasing amounts of data are stored, organisations become more reliant on digitalisation and new, energy-hungry technologies become more prevalent. This scene-setting talk will provide practical ideas that organisations can adopt – many of which will be discussed in more depth through the day – to reduce their emissions and meaningfully contribute to their organisation’s overall decarbonisation targets.

Case study: The exemplar

This case study will outline efforts one council took to not just decarbonise the technology department, but showcase examples of how technology was used for good. By understanding and promoting the vital role that smart, decarbonised, sustainable technology would bring, the council has improved the range of services it offers and is reducing its direct emissions.

Panel: The decarbonisation journey starts – making sustainability a CIO priority

Recent Foundry research found that 73% of APAC CIOs had been tasked with adhering to ESG standards, but that this was having a marginal impact on their role and buying plans. CIOs often say they are at the start of the journey, and still seeking board support. So where do you start? How do you win board support? If companies are increasingly implementing decarbonisation or net zero targets, how do IT departments play a greater role?

Fireside chat: Delivering meaningful strategic impact

No department can set a far-reaching decarbonisation policy in isolation. Here, Chief Sustainability Officers outline what IT heads should consider as they plan their decarbonisation strategy, and how to ensure that it closely matches with the overall company plan. They provide tangible ideas on how to break down plans into manageable, bite-sized projects, winning board support and the help they can offer that will make the journey easier to navigate.

Networking break

Panel: Tackling direct emissions and nudging the IT supply chain towards action

IT organisations must decide what changes will have the greatest impact towards a target, their business implications and how to then measure and monitor improvements. This panel will look at what direct and indirect emissions technology heads can tackle to reduce IT-associated greenhouse gas emissions. It will also discuss the challenges, practical approaches and realistic expectations they can set by working with their supply chain to significantly reduce emissions.

Panel: Circular economy of computing

Enterprise computing needs to shift from linear approaches with planned obsolescence to becoming circular. Put simply, if circularity is not embraced, no sustainable strategy can succeed. Combatting planned obsolescence may require government policies, but also needs the end user and vendor communities to align. This session will discuss the process a technology department can take for embracing circularity and the processes it must implement, such as understanding where equipment life can be extended, implementing end-of-life conditions in a tender and the potential pitfalls to adopting second life policies.

Presentation: How AI will drive sustainability

These talks will consider how organisations can leverage Artificial Intelligence to solve a sustainability issue and drive ESG strategies. They will outline ideas of how AI can be used for good, with examples of ways the technology will accelerate efforts to decarbonise an organisation or offer services that promote greater levels of democratisation in society.

Lunch

Case Studies: ESG in action – using technology to shift the sustainability dial

This series of case studies illustrate actions taken to use technology to reduce an organisations footprint, be that through better planning, monitoring, or data analysis. In each instance the organisation faced a challenge where through digitalisation they were able to demonstrate a reduction in emissions and take a significant step on their decarbonisation journey.

Break

Now’s the time to grab your coffee, visit sponsor booths, or answer a couple of emails.

Panel: Data centres and the cloud

Is cloud an answer to technology decarbonisation for those serious about reducing their emissions? Or does it create a situation of pollution elsewhere? This panel will gather both end users and a cloud provider to explore how you ensure that your cloud policy meets your decarbonisation ambitions. It will discuss the commitments you should seek from your provider, the targets to aim for and the reporting required to cut through any greenwashing.

Channel, collaboration and climate: How SustainTech will increase profits

Through the day we have heard from sustainability leaders on approaches to set strategy, monitor progress and benchmark against others. We’ve had ideas of technology implementations, they provide fresh insights and analytics to drive a low carbon future. For these strategies to succeed, the entire tech value chain must work together. This two part session will present research on sustainability intentions, gathering together key vendors and channel partners to discuss how they can work with and help CIOs, and increase profits.

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