Moving from Intention to Action with Accenture, Avanade and Microsoft Sustainability Solutions

The world is having a moment. The environmental impacts of climate change are widespread and catastrophic and it’s up to us, as global organizations, to be change-makers, innovators, and leaders in this space — not tomorrow, but TODAY.

Accenture is roughly made up of 700k people, ready to help clients deliver on their business outcomes, and we’ve made an explicit promise to provide 360-degree value to all stakeholders by embedding sustainability into everything we do. Microsoft, now carbon neutral, is made up of over 100k employees as well, who have brought to fruition some amazing technology and are truly leading the way when it comes to their own sustainability commitments, and the support they are providing to partners and customers through cloud innovation. Together, our two organizations, in lock step with Avanade, are completely equipped to make a material impact against the 17 sustainability goals published by the United Nations. That’s amazing potential.

Microsoft unveiled its Cloud for Sustainability roadmap last year, and since then, our sustainability partnership has deepened, it has taken shape, and it has become tangible. (Our collective work across CERAWeek serves as a wonderful example.)

All this momentum is setting the stage for action, and I’m filled with excitement at the real possibilities our collaborative work with Microsoft and Avanade hold, enabling measurable progress toward the sustainability commitments of our clients. When you think of the amazing scale, expertise, great minds, and cutting-edge technologies on hand — when you bring all that together — it seems impossible not to make an impact. And today, right now, we can.

Building a sustainable tomorrow, together

Today, Accenture, Avanade, and Microsoft announced that we are joining forces to tackle climate change, with an immediate emphasis on delivering proven solutions to help organizations transform their operations, products, services, and value chains to accelerate their transition to net zero.

This move is the opposite of lip service. We are incredibly serious and have made significant investments in the digital innovation required to make good on not only our commitments, but the commitments of our clients, and we have industry-specific expertise on the ready.

We are fully prepared to help our organizations, our clients, and our world fulfill their obligation to reduce emissions, to reach net-zero, and to safeguard our planet for future generations. By deepening our partnership and cementing our intent to help organizations move faster and more decisively, we are publicly setting the tone and the scale of our sustainability ambition.

The power of three is more than the sum of three

Together, we are co-developing solutions and offering advisory services to help businesses reduce emissions, speed the transition to new energy sources, and reduce the use of finite resources such as water, food and raw materials.

This expanded partnership is built upon existing joint sustainability efforts, including our pioneering role in the Green Software Foundation, and Project Amplify, an initiative where we support dozens of start-ups that focus on driving social impact and sustainability by providing access to emerging technology and expertise.

Underpinned by AI, data, and industry cloud platform innovation, these new joint offerings can help businesses:

• Speed the transition to new energy sources, unlock carbon intelligence, and drive down emissions.

• Accelerate digital manufacturing transformation via digital twin technology, realizing reductions in energy and materials waste.

• Combine data through the Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability, securing actionable insights that chart a clear sustainability path forward.

• Ensure sustainable IT with the Azure Cloud, architecting energy efficient infrastructure by placing sustainability and green engineering at the core of software with a low carbon cloud foundation.

I’m particularly energized by the release of the Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability yesterday, and the Microsoft Sustainability Manager Solution, also now available to test drive or purchase. The Sustainability Manager is created to help organizations more easily record, report, and reduce their environmental footprint, by centralizing data and providing a comprehensive view into their actual emissions impact. Consolidated data is the driver needed to take informed, decisive action, and the general availability of this technology signifies a huge leap forward for sustainability.

These solutions help us visualize what’s possible when we leverage technology and empower every person on the plant for sustainability. Microsoft’s digital innovation, coupled with Accenture’s Sustainability Services, and Avanade’s robust skillset is the ideal sustainability resource; and the sum of our collective abilities equals far more than three.

Now’s the time to move at pace

It is essential that we make inroads and impact right now, in 2022. The announcement of our joint sustainability solutions signifies our commitment to our clients and our planet, demonstrating the combined might of our organizations to help accelerate sustainability action and really move the needle.

It’s an amazing time to be part of the solution and I invite you to run (don’t walk!) down your own sustainability pathway. The time is now to emerge as a pioneer in this space, to lead by example, and inspire others to do the same — and we’re here to help you get there.

Learn more our sustainability partnership and the release of Microsoft’s Cloud for Sustainability, today.