93% of consulting and IT companies have a strategy or plan for sustainability | Present

Consulting firms’ interest in sustainability has increased in the past year, according to 98% of firms that are part of the AEC, an association of the nation’s major technology consultancies. Among the main reasons for this increase are the increased commitment of clients (99%) and general management in their competitions and tenders (85%), as well as the increased involvement of managers in the Sustainable Development Goals (84%).

This is evidenced by the second report prepared by the Department of Social Affairs in this regard, in order to find out which sustainable development goals they consider a priority, how they work towards achieving them, and what challenges and learnings they face when addressing this commitment.

According to this document, 97% also consider that this trend will increase in the coming years, because these are issues that will increasingly appear in the daily management of companies.

For their part, 93% claim to have a sustainability strategy or plan in place that is managed in most cases from a specific region or department, and 89% of the sector reflect their participation in the sustainable development goals that assume goals and challenges to achieve them, compared to 82% in 2021, the date of publication of the first edition. from the study.

The contributions of consultants to the various sustainable development goals are mainly embodied through the services provided by the companies. Most companies believe that their impact is more easily perceived from the point of view of the business model, and from the presentation of the products and services they offer to their customers so that they, in turn, contribute to sustainability. However, they also consider that it generates a positive impact through actions associated with the internal management of the company or the implementation of initiatives with other interest groups.

sector contribution
An important change compared to the first edition of the report is the prioritization of environmental protection issues. According to the consultation held, 90% of those surveyed (77% in 2021) believe that the sector can positively impact SDG 13 – Climate Action, through its role in developing transformative technological solutions. Similarly, 59% of those consulted believe that the sector has a particular influence on issues related to affordable and non-polluting energy (Goal 7), while only 33% thought this in 2021.

Another related change occurs in relation to the importance given to health and well-being (SDG 3), which becomes a priority effect for 90% of those consulted, while in 2021 it was only 26%. It is undoubtedly the most noticeable increase in the entire study, due in part to the lasting impact of the pandemic more than expected and to the extraordinary economic situation as a result of the war in Ukraine and its aftermath.

In the same vein, 81% of those consulted see it as a priority to achieve SDG 8 (employment capacity and economic growth) and 79% mention the positive impact of the sector on SDG 4 (quality education), compared to 52% who believe this in 2021. The investment in training per employee of consultants remained well above the average in Spain in 2022, increasing in both hours and euros compared to 2021.

Gender equality (Goal 5) and reducing inequalities (Goal 10) remain key objectives for companies that continue to contribute to reducing exclusion based on gender, age or social class, among others.

Due to the nature of its activity, digitization and technological transformation are key issues for the sector. 67% of those consulted believe that the sector has a positive impact on SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), which is slightly higher than the 65% who considered it in 2021.

Challenges and opportunities for implementing the 2030 Agenda
Regarding the benefits of implementing the 2030 Agenda, those surveyed highlighted issues such as improving the company’s reputation or internal management of sustainability and corporate responsibility.

The benefit associated with creating new business opportunities or the ease of developing products and launching innovative services based on the goals contained in the Sustainable Development Goals, indicated by 90% of companies, is also very important. In the previous consultation, this feature was mentioned by only 42% of companies, from which it can be concluded that the integration of the 2030 Agenda into the services provided by companies was very high in these two years or so.

Although 24% stated that they face no obstacles to integrating the 2030 Agenda, there is room for improvement in some aspects: main challenges include lack of internal resources, lack of tools or lack of knowledge about this in a company.

Measuring contribution to the sustainable development goals
96% of the companies surveyed claim to have a sustainability report, and 82% (compared to 71% in the previous query) have metrics and indicators to monitor their contribution to the SDGs. The growth of 11 percentage points indicates the high professionalism to contribute to the 2030 Agenda in the field of consultancy.

In addition, 79% of the sector not only have indicators to measure progress, but also set specific goals and targets linked to the Sustainable Development Goals to achieve them in the 2025-2030 horizon.