Achieving carbon neutrality means removing as much CO2 from the atmosphere as a company emits, that is, having a balance between the emission and absorption of carbon from the atmosphere; while achieving zero emissions is a superior long-term goal that involves producing without emitting CO2.

However, although 81% of companies claim to be up to date or ahead of their decarbonization plan, the survey revealed that actual progress is not as solid as many companies believe.

This study sheds light on the importance of sustainability for today's organizations and the measures being taken to address current sustainability challenges in data management. Key findings include the following:

The timeline for achieving their goals is still decades away; on average, organizations do not expect to reach net-zero carbon emissions until 2049, in 26 years.
Half of the companies believe that regulatory compliance is their main challenge (48%), and this challenge is compounded by the fact that 42% of respondents said they did not have access to the right data to achieve this goal or to professionals with the appropriate qualifications.
There is a certain paradox because compliance with regulations is identified as a challenge at the same time as it is seen by companies as one of the main reasons for becoming more sustainable (46%), just behind ethical motivations (48%).
Despite awareness of the importance of decarbonization, reality shows that more than half of the companies surveyed (55%) said that their data center footprint had not improved at all in the last two years.
Looking ahead to the next two years, although half of the companies (53%) expect their data center's carbon footprint to decrease, worrying expectations continue to emerge, such as 30% of companies expecting their environmental impact to increase and 16% believing it will remain at the same levels.

"To achieve net-zero emissions goals, companies must establish a concrete strategy and implementation plan, with the participation of leaders who have a broad view of emissions across their entire IT environment, including the internet, edge technology, and internal and external communications.""s," said Valentín Pinuaga, general manager of Hitachi Vantara Spain. "The survey found too many organizations that base their strategies on regulation. This can be a hindrance, as regulations often follow immediate needs, whereas considering decarbonization strategy as part of the business can boost growth and mitigate negative impacts."

The fundamental role of data centers in reducing emissions
Despite the lack of progress in reducing the data center footprint, IT leaders are aware of its importance, and 62% of them believe that migrating to the public cloud is the best way to reduce their data centers' carbon footprint. To achieve this, they appear to have taken action, as six out of ten respondents stated that their companies are investing in the necessary tools and personnel.

However, companies need external services to accelerate the decarbonization of their data centers. One in two identified this support as their primary external need in the coming years to achieve more sustainable data management. Furthermore, 32% indicated they will require external support to transition to alternative energy sources.

Part of the problem appears to be that senior executives are not fully aware of the importance of data center modernization in achieving their overall sustainability goals. Those most aware of this are heads of data departments, with 100% stating that a green data center is one of the most effective ways to reduce their company's carbon footprint, while only one in two CEOs viewed data center management as an effective way to reduce carbon footprint, and no CFOs or CIOs agreed with that statement.

"This shows that there is still a great lack of consensus on the measures to be taken to decarbonize data centers in an economy that generates more and more information," Pinuaga points out.In general terms, these disparities underscore the need for greater knowledge sharing and greater involvement of C-level managers." duck.

Corporate neutrality in the coming decades
Respondents also assessed the year in which they expect to achieve carbon neutrality and the more ambitious goal of zero emissions. Spanish leaders, on average, set 2041, in 18 years, as the target year for achieving carbon neutrality—that is, the point at which their activity removes as much CO2 from the atmosphere as it emits. Furthermore, they indicated, on average, 2049, in 26 years, as the point at which zero emissions could be achieved—meaning, for example, that a company's production takes place in an off-grid building, powered entirely by solar energy and using zero fossil fuels.

Survey form
Commissioned by Hitachi Vantara, ThoughtLab Research interviewed 1,000 respondents worldwide from sectors as diverse as financial services, manufacturing, transportation, healthcare, and the public sector.

In Spain, 50 managers and executives from strategically selected organizations were surveyed; across Europe, 250; and the remaining respondents were distributed among Canada, the United Kingdom, India, China, and Australia. Almost all respondents (96%) belong to companies with 1,000 or more employees.