Channel Partners Embrace Sustainability, but Will Technology Idolatry Upend Their Progress?

Youth’s fascination with cryptocurrency, VR, and other innovations could thwart sustainable practices

Peruse the websites of leading channel partners and you’ll see something relatively new on the homepages of VARs, MSPs, and IT consultants: more attention and commitment to environmental sustainability. The topic has been elevated to a corporate priority now, along with creating an inviting place to work, fostering diversity and inclusion among the workforce, and pursuing the latest in digital transformation technology.

Take Dimension Data. The global tech provider, based in Johannesburg, South Africa, says it’s committed to “delivering sustainable value and positively impacting our communities to build a more sustainable future in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals,” 17 objectives developed by the U.N. to “improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth — all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.” This may sound hifalutin, but the goals actually have real teeth and heart. Committing to them, in other words, isn’t something done lightly.