Revealed: The state of sustainability in the UK IT channel

One in ten UK resellers have lost business due to lack of sustainability pedigree, study by CRN and DataSolutions reveals

One in ten UK channel partners have lost business because they were unable to demonstrate their sustainability pedigree, and the majority have both a formal ESG strategy and carbon reduction plan in place.

Those are among the headline findings of research conducted by CRN in partnership with DataSolutions and TechiesGoGreen (register here to view).

With more and more end customers and vendors looking to green up not only their own businesses but also their supply chains, the resellers and MSPs sandwiched between them are coming under increasing pressure to get their own houses in order.

Before now, however, little research has been conducted into exactly where channel partners - and the customers they serve - are on their sustainable transformation journeys.

Exclusive research conducted in the run up to the CRN Tech Impact Summit and Awards by CRN and DataSolutions/TechiesGoGreen reveals that:

• 10 per cent of resellers/MSPs have lost a contract/tender because they could not demonstrate a sustainability pedigree.
• A majority of respondents (both channel and end-user) worked for companies that are actively pursuing both an ESG strategy and carbon reduction plan.
• In two years' time, sustainability will be almost as important a driver for how IT decision makers select IT suppliers as price, performance and cost savings (it currently ranks a distant 4 ^th ).
• 60 per cent of resellers/MSPs would be "fully" supportive of a vendor if it introduced rebates/financial incentives for partners who are either on a path to becoming more sustainable, or are using tech to help their customers become more sustainable.
• Only a minority (12 per cent for channel and 23 per cent for end users) said COVID has led them to reduce the amount they are investing in sustainability, and most respondents (both channel and end users - stripping out the ‘don't knows') are planning to accelerate their sustainability efforts over the next 12 months.

The full report can be viewed here (brief registration required).