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What is Microsoft for Sustainability?

Organizations face pressure to integrate sustainability into operations, but inadequate systems can obstruct progress. Regulations are complex and government policies continue to shift. Businesses must respond to customer pressure and operate sustainably, especially when customers believe that brands and corporations bear primary responsibility for upholding sustainability efforts. Also, AI integration is poised to drive some of the most significant changes across industries due to the added resource demands of AI.

Despite these challenges, companies remain committed to operating sustainably. Businesses are moving beyond viewing sustainability as a moral imperative (and a reporting necessity) and increasingly recognize it as an enabler for business growth. They must enable skilling and rapid insights to advance R&D and decrease time-to-value. Organizations expect to increase or maintain sustainability investments, since operating with fewer resources remains a critical element of cost control.

Organizations want to invest in a technology partner that can help them achieve their sustainability goals and contend with economic and geopolitical uncertainties as well as climate change. Microsoft is well-positioned to lead on sustainability with commercial customers.

Market context

Sustainability is among the top societal issues reported by organizations, along with digital safety, security and privacy, economic opportunity, business ethics and transparency, and the impact of AI on environmental sustainability.

The top investment priorities for business decision makers revolve around data and implementation scenarios:

  • Use data analytics to understand which projects have the biggest impact on sustainability
  • Adopt technology or tools to manage their sustainability work end to end
  • Implement existing sustainability initiatives
  • Use AI tools to find ways to improve sustainability efforts across their organizations
  • Update existing sustainability data estates
  • Empower the sustainability workforce

Sustainability solutions from Microsoft

Sustainability is a fundamental aspect of Microsoft's business. Microsoft has ambitious targets to be carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste while protecting ecosystems by 2030. Microsoft shares progress, challenges, and lessons in its annual Environmental Sustainability Report to help accelerate global progress.

As a global technology provider, Microsoft also believes it has a role to play in supporting the thousands of customers and partners who look to it for innovation and solutions to help them on their sustainability journeys. Microsoft prioritizes sustainability not only by optimizing its own operations but also by fostering a community of customers and partners who are dedicated to advancing their sustainability goals.

Microsoft is helping organizations achieve transparency and gain valuable insights to effectively manage their environmental footprint. By helping to integrate sustainability practices throughout their value chain, organizations create new value in an ever-evolving landscape.

Through collaboration, sustainability solutions, and investments in climate equity and innovation, Microsoft — together with customers and partners — is driving transformative change to create a world where every individual and organization can thrive. Microsoft frames its role in sustainability through three lenses: Microsoft sustainability, customer sustainability, and global sustainability.

Microsoft for Sustainability is a comprehensive suite of cloud-based services and platforms to help customers accelerate business and sustainability goals. It offers a full breadth of trusted data and AI solutions, along with an ambitious commitment to sustainability, to help you operate responsibly and thrive in an ever-changing world. Microsoft for Sustainability empowers organizations to accelerate progress in sustainability while also driving business growth. It brings together a range of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) capabilities across the Microsoft cloud portfolio and solutions from our global ecosystem of partners.

Create efficiencies

Help organizations to create efficiencies and drive innovation.

  • Unify and automate data capture and calculations to shorten time to insight.
  • Leverage cloud, IoT, and operational optimizations to reduce costs and emissions.
  • Implement supplier solutions and workflows to simplify reporting and compliance across jurisdictions.
  • Utilize Copilot and self‑service analytics to empower both technical and non-technical employees to act on sustainability insights.

For more information, see Create efficiencies.

Build resilience

Identify opportunities to replace tools, systems, or activities with cleaner options and add business value.

  • Create carbon and energy efficiencies in the cloud.
  • Assess, monitor, and help improve compliance posture with global, regional, and industry regulations and standards.
  • Adopt technologies that are sustainable by design.

For more information, see Build resilience.

Innovate for growth

Explore and deliver sustainability innovations and new lines of business while advancing your sustainability targets.

  • Create energy efficiencies and transition towards clean energy.
  • Modernize fleets and transportation.
  • Reduce the environmental impact of buildings, spaces, and equipment.
  • Enable seamless collaboration about goals and progress.

For more information, see Innovate for growth.

Advance the sustainability of AI

We’re deeply invested and increasing our focus for advancing the sustainability of cloud and AI.

  • Optimize data center energy and water efficiency.
  • Advance lower-carbon materials and create global markets to help advance sustainability across industries.
  • Improve the energy efficiency of AI and cloud services, and empower customers and partners with tools for collective progress.

For more information, see Advance the sustainability of AI.

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