Greentech Lead America: CFOs play lead role in driving
sustainability initiatives in organizations, according to a recent survey by
Deloitte.
Two thirds of CFOs say they are involved in driving
sustainability strategies in their organizations, and more than half say their
involvement has increased over the last year, according to the survey that
represented 250 CFOs in 14 countries across five continents.
The survey finds the percentage of CFOs and COOs
accountable for sustainability issues has almost doubled from 20 percent to 36
percent last year.
CFOs have become focused on a number of sustainable
operating practices. CFOs have placed greater importance on sustainability
in tax and financial reporting. The majority of CFOs reported a meaningful
impact from sustainability concerns on both financial reporting – 74 percent – and
tax matters – 54 percent.
As a measure to further reduce the footprint of company
travel and energy use from data centers, CFOs plan to invest in three specific
areas: video conferencing (56 percent), data center efficiency equipment (52
percent) and electric vehicles (35 percent).
“Companies are sitting up and taking notice that
sustainability is not just a brand or a corporate responsibility element it is
becoming a key driver of financial performance and the future of
business,” said Dave Pearson, Deloitte Sustainability Leader, DTTL.
“As such, CFOs have begun to take an active role in
driving the execution of sustainability strategies and making key
organizational changes within their organizations, such as introducing more
sustainable technology and deploying environment-friendly policies,”
Pearson said.
editor@greentechlead.com