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Summary & Introduction Shared responsibility drives impact. Impact is a shared responsibility. since 2017 , the Atea Sustainability Focus (ASF) initiative has issued six reports to the industry on how to advance the sustainable transformation according to the Nordic IT buyers. The one you are now holding in your hand – the seventh – is different. It focuses solely on impact, both what impact the ASF has had over the years and what we must do to increase the effects of our efforts. A look in the rearview mirror The foundation of this report is an analysis of how previous ASF recommendations have been implemented on an industry level as well as on a brand level. The analysis also looked into how the Nordic IT buyers have reinforced the ASF recom- mendations in their tender requirements. Read more about the ASF initiative and developments throughout the years on p. 4. Read more about how the ASF recommendations have been implemented on p. 6 and in the appendix available in the digital version. among members, for example by identifying and sharing best practices. • The RBA can also do more to facilitate proactive, large-scale action. It is noted that this would require increased engagement from members. • Closer collaboration between brands, for example on capacity building, has the potential to mitigate the effects of climate change locally and to prevent human rights abuses in supply chains. • Nordic buyers do not always put their money where their mouth is. There is a gap between what is expressed in stakeholder dialogues and actual tender requirements. We can see that while progress has been made in all the areas covered by the reports – human rights due diligence, climate action and circular transition – the impact of these efforts is far from sufficient. Among hurdles and opportunities for large-scale impact, the analysis lists: • A system that is heavily reliant on audits and compliance, and less on incentives and capacity building. • The Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) has developed several tools for increased transparency, but these are not being deployed by members. • There are opportunities for the RBA to promote progress and accountability Atea Sustainability Focus provides the IT industry with valuable insights of the expectations and preferences of the Nordic market as well as recommendations on how to address urgent sustainability issues. The recommendations are crafted by the ASF Advisory Board consisting of representatives from leading Nordic public and private companies with a background in IT, sustainability or purchasing. New mindset So how can we turn the pockets of best practices that exist into a mass movement of positive development? According to the ASF Advisory Board, two things are required: 1. A mindset of shared responsibility Replace today’s “we and them” attitude with an ecosystem perspective. We need to treat the supply chain as a partnership where support, capacity-building and incentives are the cornerstones. 2. O perationalized and aligned sustainability efforts Today, sustainability is often retrofitted to a system that is geared against it. There needs 2 March 2024 | Atea Sustainability Focus
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Contents to be greater alignment of incentives across the value chain and – not least – within organizations. The Advisory Board calls on all actors of the value chain to make capacity building and shared goals the core of supply chain sustainability programs. Additionally, organizations need to strengthen internal processes, so that incentives for the procurement and contract management processes are aligned. The Board would also like to see the RBA create an interface with buyers to share relevant, meaningful information about the progress in the supply chain, and that brands increase collaboration around capacity building. To catalyze this development, Nordic buyers led by the Advisory Board, commit to leading the way by operationalizing sustainability in their own organizations, causing a ripple effect throughout the value chain. The full message from the Advisory Board and the recommendations can be found on p. 10. Only by aligning our efforts we can achieve impact at scale. This report makes it evident that this requires new thinking, new avenues for collaboration and new tools for information-sharing. This can be found challenging, and if the task of taking the first step – and all the risk that comes with it – is left to one actor, it will not be done. Sharing is the way forward. Atea Sustainability Focus | March 2024 Summary 2 Purpose of this report 4 Impact analysis – summary 6 Recommendations from the ASF Advisory Board 10 Actions for impact 12 The ASF process 13 Message from The RBA 14 Concluding thoughts 15 Appendix I: Impact Analysis – full version 16 Appendix II: Abbreviations & Explanations 35 Sustainability is often retrofitted to a system that is geared against it. 3
