Technology has become central to climate action in Australia as technology and sustainability functions converge.
According to the Global Sustainability Barometer Study, conducted by Ecosystm, 43 per cent of Australian organisations say technology teams drive environmental outcomes across the enterprise and alignment between the IT and sustainability teams sits at 62 per cent.
Australian organisations are placing more focus on environmental sustainability, with 95 per cent of organisations rating environmental sustainability as a top strategic priority.
However, many still struggle to turn their goals into measurable impact, and only 15 per cent have embedded sustainability as a core driver of innovation, cost savings and long-term resilience.
Only 23 per cent of organisations fully utilise digital solutions to improve sustainability, and only 18 per cent of organisations have sustainability criteria clearly weighted in all major tech selections.
Erandhi Mendis, Social Impact, Government Affairs and Policy Leader, Kyndryl ANZ, said: “Technology is now at the heart of climate action in Australia.
“We are seeing IT teams step up as key enablers of sustainability outcomes.
“The next step is to move beyond isolated energy efficiency wins.
“Organisations need to embed sustainability into modernisation decisions, fix data integration, and use AI responsibly and be climate-aware to turn goals into measurable results.”
The use of AI is rising, but only 20 per cent of Australian businesses consider the environmental impact of AI, down from 35 per cent in 2024 and below the global average of 43 per cent.
Australian organisations are increasingly using predictive AI to monitor, report, and improve sustainability performance, with 53 per cent forecasting resource use and emissions and 52 per cent anticipating climate risks.
However, only 37 per cent use AI centrally to inform environmental decision-making.
Ricardo Davila, GM, Enterprise Partner Solutions, Microsoft, said: “The 2025 Global Sustainability Barometer Study shows that more than half of leading organisations now use predictive AI to anticipate and act on sustainability challenges – rather than just to track and analyse – making forward-looking intelligence central to sustainability strategy.”
The Global Sustainability Barometer Study, conducted by Ecosystm and commissioned by Kyndryl and Microsoft, reflects the perspectives of 1,286 enterprise leaders.
The study was conducted between August and September and aims to provide a comprehensive view of how integration, strategy, and technology are transforming sustainability.
