Deloitte, AT&T, and Salesforce have announced a new connectivity-based approach to ESG data collection and sustainability management. The solution integrates AT&T’s asset connectivity solutions with Deloitte Digital’s Sustainability 360TM offering, which is powered by Salesforce Net Zero Cloud.
The solution designed to help organisations streamline their ESG data collection processes, enhance data integrity, and accelerate the identification of sustainability improvement opportunities. It can also help organisations comply with evolving ESG regulations and demonstrate their commitment to sustainability to stakeholders.
“Across the world, organisations are finding it difficult to efficiently collect ESG data,” said Luis Galito, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP, and Sustainability 360 offering leader. “We believe that organisations can resolve this challenge by taking advantage of the unique blend of sustainability expertise, deep industry knowledge, and innovative technologies that Deloitte, AT&T and Salesforce collectively provide.”
According to research from Deloitte, over a third (35%) of executives stated that data quality was a primary barrier to successful sustainability efforts. This sentiment was further reinforced by IBM’s research on “The ESG Conundrum,” which revealed that 73% of leaders view the challenge of consolidating or manipulating data as a major obstacle for ESG efforts.
AT&T’s asset connectivity solutions provide direct connectivity with an organisation’s emissions sources, while Deloitte Digital’s Sustainability 360 offering provides an audit-ready platform for ESG data management. According to the announcement, the combination of these two solutions can help organisations to:
- Reduce manual data collection
- Enhance the integrity of ESG data presented in sustainability reports and disclosures
- Monitor ESG performance and generate asset-level insights
“To change our current climate trajectory, organisations need to collaborate to deliver new climate solutions,” said Suzanne DiBianca, EVP and chief impact officer at Salesforce. “We are excited to join with AT&T and Deloitte to simplify how organisations collect ESG data from across their operations.”
The AT&T Connected Climate Initiative is a consortium of leading technology companies. Parties involved include AT&T Business customers, universities, and non-profits working together to identify best practices, develop new broadband-enabled climate solutions, and drive impact at scale through innovations that help reduce emissions and mitigate climate change.
Over the past year, both Salesforce and Deloitte have announced initiatives aimed at supporting businesses in their ESG journey. In September 2022, Salesforce introduced its carbon credit marketplace, which brings together offset providers and rating agencies to alleviate confusion surrounding legitimate offerings.
In January, Deloitte launched the GreenSpace Tech initiative, granting businesses access to a climate technology ecosystem, enabling them to develop and deploy solutions to mitigate investment risks associated with environmental concerns.
