The coming years will be decisive for the path to Green Growth which means to foster economic growth and development in a sustainable way. The potential of digital technology and the cloud as the innovation platform of the 21st century will be crucial for green transformation. This applies to the corporate sector as well as to the public sector and society at large.
The Tech for Sustainability Circle - a collaboration between Microsoft Switzerland, EY Switzerland and the UN Global Compact Network Switzerland and Liechtenstein - published a white paper focusing on the three defined themes in scope “Green Growth”, “Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI)” and “Impact Measurement” and is intended to trigger further discussions and actions for a sustainable Switzerland enabled by technology.
Switzerland's success in the global economy increasingly depends on its ability to drive datadriven value creation and unlock new revenue streams from digital products and services. However, data and computing power will not only accelerate digital transformation to create sustainable economic and social growth, but also provide the critical infrastructure for green transformation. This is a unique opportunity for Switzerland, as it can build on a strong corporate sector with many technological and digital pioneers, and sustainability is anchored in the country.
The white paper highlights how technology plays a pivotal role in achieving the sustainable development goals and summarizes key takeaways and calls for actions in regards to the current and future state of Green Growth in Switzerland, responsible AI and the importance of impact measurement.
Some of the calls for actions include:
Switzerland to define policies, frameworks and support for relevant actors from the public, private and academic sectors that focus on the role of technology to achieve the defined 2030 and 2050 sustainability goals for Green Growth.
Technology and the Sustainability are bound together, and as such, sustainability impacts of AI solutions and technological progress should be considered. To survive and thrive, organizations will have to put sustainability at the heart of their tech strategy, and tech at the heart of their sustainability journey.
Standardized impact measurement processes and common sustainability reporting standards must be developed as soon as possible to allow for dedicated action and comparison across different sectors and companies.
About the Tech for Sustainability Circle
Seizing green opportunities requires collaboration between industries, the private and the public sectors. For this reason, Microsoft Switzerland, EY Switzerland and UN Global Compact Network Switzerland & Liechtenstein founded in 2021 the Tech for Sustainability Circle - an initiative to bring together organizations, boost transparency and measurement, and nurture dialogue between the private and public sectors, academia, and governmental organizations. Learn more: Tech for Sustainability (microsoft.com)