Channel leaders balance profit with purpose when it comes to sustainability

Leading global channel services provider, Agilitas IT Solutions has launched its ‘EVOLVE for The Planet’ report. This guide forms the latest instalment in its Technology Channel insight campaign, ‘EVOLVE - Voice of the Channel’, which continues to provide actionable, free-to-view market insights in 2022.

The report, which explores the findings of the latest research commissioned by Agilitas, reveals a new mindset within the industry, with the planet still front of mind despite the years of disruption from the likes of COVID-19 and Brexit. This year saw continued optimism in building a more resilient business model to survive external factors, with confidence in this area reaching 7.8 on the barometer (where 10 is very optimistic).It was also revealed that many Technology Channel businesses are now measuring purpose and profit in equal measure, with almost half (46%) of those asked stating it has become more of a focus. Of those remaining, more companies (18%) are prioritising environmental and social purpose over profit when it comes to their partnerships.

However, despite this increase in overall optimism and awareness of measuring sustainability targets, the Channel did see a slight fall in confidence when it came to the Channel’s ability to adopt eco-friendly processes across their supply chain. The size of the company was a factor, with larger organisations the most confident with their sustainability strategies for the next 12 months. Interestingly, none of the companies surveyed with less than 100 employees scored 9 or 10 out of a possible 10.

With Channel businesses all at different stages of their sustainability journeys, this is not an overnight fix. However, it is encouraging that 98.4% of businesses are currently making strides to improve their impact on the planet. Channel firms are no longer waiting for the vendors to make the first move, with more companies now taking ownership and building their own localised eco-systems through increased partner-to-partner collaboration. This was shown by 82% of those surveyed saying they only opt for partners they align with.

“With the impact of climate change now a significant concern, sustainability is no longer something that can be claimed through small actions or gestures like offsetting,” commented Deborah Johnson, Head of Sustainability at Agilitas. “To be effective, it requires a complete transformation of business processes that start with a sustainability-first mindset and an even deeper collaboration with industry partners, which is something we are already seeing.

“As a result, becoming sustainable without significantly increasing costs is proving to be a real challenge, but has been met by those in the industry with positivity and confidence. The way sustainability efforts have advanced in the face of the external factors we have experienced in the last few years is very promising, and the research results only serve to highlight that.”