IT professionals do not seem to be concerned about the environmental impact of their IT infrastructure. If they are, the reason for this is not consistent with the environmental motivation.

According to a survey of 2,869 IT professionals conducted by The Register, the majority of IT professionals do not seem to care about the environmental sustainability of their infrastructure. It is worth noting that the figures refer to respondents from all over the world. A look at the IT professionals surveyed from EMEA shows a slightly more optimistic picture, although the motivation to invest in sustainable IT infrastructure is more on the economic side than the environmental side.

Sustainability is not a priority

Only 16.7 percent of the 2,869 IT professionals surveyed consider sustainability to be a top issue, while 38.7 percent see it as a priority. Although these numbers are not promising from an environmental perspective, it is important to note that there are large differences between regions. These numbers seem to refer mainly to American respondents, the figures from the EMEA region paint a slightly more optimistic picture.

A look at the numbers from EMEA IT professionals shows that 18.4 percent say sustainability is a top priority in their IT environment, compared to 12.9 percent in the Americas. One possible explanation, according to The Register, could be the fact that these regions generally have higher operating and energy costs, which leads to a different perspective.

Economic engine

More than half of respondents (53.9 percent) say that reducing operating costs is one of the most important reasons for investing in a sustainable IT infrastructure. They then reduce their carbon footprint and minimize energy consumption.

When looking at specific actions IT teams are taking to address sustainability issues, more than half say they prioritize energy-efficient hardware and software, virtualization, and other data center consolidation techniques.

More efficient hardware, in turn, produces more waste, which is not a solution from an ecological point of view either. When asked how IT professionals deal with electronic waste, 45.9 percent of respondents said they donated outdated equipment, while 39.8 percent said they gave their systems a second life by refurbishing them. It is noteworthy that about a quarter of respondents said they had no plan for disposing of their electronic waste.