Australian Firms Step up ESG Efforts for Compliance, Profit

Rhea-AI Summary

Australian enterprises are ramping up their technology investments, particularly in AI, to enhance environmental and social sustainability initiatives, according to ISG's 2024 Provider Lens™ report. This surge is driven by new government regulations since 2022, including renewable energy incentives and mandatory climate-risk disclosure requirements.

Climate change remains the primary ESG concern for companies, with digital solutions being important for achieving sustainability goals. Energy management systems are particularly sought after in mining, power, utilities, manufacturing, and transportation sectors.

The report identifies several key trends:

• Growing provider market with both local and global competitors
• Increased adoption of AI and ML in sustainability solutions
• Rising demand for data platforms and managed services
• Preference for industry-specific expertise in sustainability partners

The analysis evaluates 87 providers across four quadrants, with companies like Accenture, Capgemini, IBM, and Wipro recognized as Leaders across all categories. PwC earned recognition as the global ISG CX Star Performer for 2024 in Sustainability and ESG Australia.

Growing regulation, climate awareness boost sustainability initiatives, demand for digital solutions and services, ISG Provider Lens™ report says

SYDNEY--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Enterprises in Australia are accelerating investments in technology, including AI, to improve their environmental and social sustainability and corporate governance, motivated by both business and compliance concerns, according to a new research report published today by Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

The 2024 ISG Provider Lens™ Sustainability and ESG report for Australia finds new laws enacted by the national government since 2022, including renewable energy incentives and a requirement to disclose climate-related risks, have significantly increased corporate action on sustainability. Among ESG concerns, climate change remains the most common top priority for enterprises, staying in the spotlight due to extreme weather events and investor awareness of the potential costs of climate risks.

“Australian companies have a growing appreciation for the opportunity to cut costs, emissions and waste through sustainability initiatives,” said Michael Gale, partner and regional leader, ISG Asia Pacific. “Compliance is a major concern, but most want to become more sustainable anyway if they can do so profitably.”

Investment in digital solutions is seen as an essential means to achieve sustainability goals, and a majority of enterprises plan to engage with service providers across their initiatives, the report says. Energy management systems are in high demand in asset-intensive industries such as mining, power and utilities, manufacturing and transportation. However, most Australian businesses are less aware than European firms of the potential benefits of sustainability transformations, ISG says.

Enterprises have seen their provider options growing in recent years as local and global competitors enter the market with technology solutions, the report says. However, ISG has recently seen providers consolidating and recalibrating their portfolios to serve the use cases with the highest potential. Australian organizations prefer partners with significant experience in the sustainability requirements of their industry, and some are using more in-house resources to reduce their consulting budgets.

AI and ML are at the core of many of the recent advancements in providers’ sustainability solutions, the report says. Several leading providers introduced solutions based on generative AI in 2024, creating a new wave of optimism about how technology can meet sustainability challenges, especially in reporting.

Data platforms and managed services form the fastest-growing quadrant of the market, driven primarily by domestic and global regulations. Enterprises seek advisory, integration and managed services, but they understand that no universal solution exists and that operating models are central to how data capabilities are obtained and used.

“Progressive companies in Australia have started to change their operating models as they adapt their organizations to incorporate sustainability,” said Jan Erik Aase, partner and global leader, ISG Provider Lens Research. “Digital tools are essential but only part of the solution.”

The report also examines other trends affecting ESG initiatives in Australia, including the creation of enterprise plans for reconciliation with First Nations people and the country’s ongoing debate about how to regulate AI.

For more insights into the sustainability and ESG challenges facing enterprises in Australia, along with ISG’s advice on addressing them, see the ISG Provider Lens™ Focal Points briefing here.

The 2024 ISG Provider Lens™ Sustainability and ESG report for Australia evaluates the capabilities of 87 providers across four quadrants: Strategy and Enablement Services, OT & Industry Specific Solutions, IT Solutions and Data Platforms and Managed Services.

The report names Accenture, Capgemini, Cognizant, HCLTech, IBM, Infosys, TCS and Wipro as Leaders in all four quadrants. It names Deloitte, EY, Microsoft and PwC as Leaders in two quadrants each. BCG, Cority, EcoVadis, ERM, ESG Book, Kyndryl, LTIMindtree, McKinsey & Co., NTT DATA, SAP and Wolters Kluwer are named as Leaders in one quadrant each.

In addition, Tech Mahindra is named as a Rising Star — a company with a “promising portfolio” and “high future potential” by ISG’s definition — in two quadrants. Sphera and WSP are named as Rising Stars in one quadrant each.

In the area of customer experience, PwC is named the global ISG CX Star Performer for 2024 among Sustainability and ESG Australia. PwC earned the highest customer satisfaction scores in ISG's Voice of the Customer survey, which is part of the ISG Star of Excellence™ program, the premier quality recognition for the technology and business services industry.

The 2024 ISG Provider Lens™ Sustainability and ESG report for Australia is available to subscribers or for one-time purchase on this webpage.

About ISG Provider Lens™ Research

The ISG Provider Lens™ Quadrant research series is the only service provider evaluation of its kind to combine empirical, data-driven research and market analysis with the real-world experience and observations of ISG's global advisory team. Enterprises will find a wealth of detailed data and market analysis to help guide their selection of appropriate sourcing partners, while ISG advisors use the reports to validate their own market knowledge and make recommendations to ISG's enterprise clients. The research currently covers providers offering their services globally, across Europe, as well as in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, the U.K., France, Benelux, Germany, Switzerland, the Nordics, Australia and Singapore/Malaysia, with additional markets to be added in the future. For more information about ISG Provider Lens research, please visit this webpage.

About ISG
ISG (Information Services Group) (Nasdaq: III) is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business partner to more than 900 clients, including more than 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is committed to helping corporations, public sector organizations, and service and technology providers achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm specializes in digital transformation services, including AI, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed governance and risk services; network carrier services; strategy and operations design; change management; market intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006, and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs more than 1,600 digital-ready professionals operating in more than 20 countries—a global team known for its innovative thinking, market influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class research and analytical capabilities based on the industry’s most comprehensive marketplace data. For more information, visit www.isg-one.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250204111349/en/

Press Contacts:

Will Thoretz, ISG

+1 203 517 3119

will.thoretz@isg-one.com

Julianna Sheridan, Matter Communications for ISG

+1 978-518-4520

isg@matternow.com

Source: Information Services Group, Inc.

FAQ

What new sustainability regulations are affecting Australian companies in 2024?

Since 2022, Australia has implemented new regulations including renewable energy incentives and mandatory climate-related risk disclosure requirements, significantly increasing corporate action on sustainability.

How are Australian companies using AI for ESG compliance?

Australian enterprises are investing in AI technology for sustainability initiatives, particularly in reporting solutions, with several providers introducing generative AI solutions in 2024 to address sustainability challenges.

Which sectors show highest demand for energy management systems in Australia?

Energy management systems are in highest demand in asset-intensive industries including mining, power and utilities, manufacturing, and transportation sectors.

Which companies were named Leaders in ISG's 2024 Sustainability report for Australia?

Accenture, Capgemini, Cognizant, HCLTech, IBM, Infosys, TCS, and Wipro were named Leaders across all four quadrants in the report.

What are the main drivers for sustainability investments in Australian companies?

The main drivers are regulatory compliance, business profitability opportunities, cost reduction potential, and growing awareness of climate-related risks and extreme weather events.