Driving enterprise sustainability in the age of AI

Technology has always been a double-edged sword when it comes to sustainability. This year, as conversations about the AI boom intensified, so did concerns around the soaring energy consumption of data centers. Global investment in data centers has nearly doubled since 2022, reaching close to half a trillion dollars in 2024 and that number is only expected to grow.

But while the environmental cost of unchecked digital growth is real, technology also holds the key to closing the massive gap between where we are today and the climate targets set by global leaders. Increasingly, tech is not just part of the sustainability challenge; it’s also a strategic ally for meaningful climate action.

As enterprises elevate sustainability on their 2026 agenda, this blog explores the key technology-focused decisions emerging from the ongoing COP30 Conference in Brazil, how digital tools are helping industries operate more responsibly, and what it takes to handle technology wisely.

What’s COP30, and what are some key areas of concern?

COP30, which stands for the 30th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is the annual global gathering where countries come together to discuss and take action on the environment. This year’s conference is being held in Belém, Brazil, from November 10 to 21, 2025, and marks 10 years since the landmark Paris Agreement.

Among the key topics of discussion are:

• Limiting global warming to 1.5°C: COP30 focused heavily on pushing nations to submit more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to stay on track for this target.
• Preserving forests, biodiversity, and food systems.
• Global funding to help developing countries mitigate climate disasters and become resilient as climate impacts accelerate.

What do we know about the key tech-related decisions made at the conference?

Amid these broader priorities, two major technology-focused initiatives emerged:

1. The Green Digital Action Hub (GDA Hub)
   A global platform supporting digital solutions for climate action across 82 countries. Led by Brazil and backed by organizations including the World Bank, the European Green Deal Coalition, and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the hub aims to coordinate efforts to scale tech-driven climate interventions.
2. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Institute for Climate Action
   A new international institute designed to help governments develop technology-based solutions, particularly AI-driven ones, to tackle climate challenges. Its core mission is to ensure that digital tools are deployed responsibly and sustainably, contributing meaningfully to climate goals rather than exacerbating environmental pressures.

Together, these initiatives signal a clear direction: technology will be central to global climate strategy, but only if it is developed and used in ways that minimize harm and maximize climate impact.

Digital solutions for sustainability across industries

Over the past few years, we have seen businesses across multiple industries shift toward more sustainable operations with digital solutions playing a central role in that transition. Here’s a look at how a few resource-intensive sectors are making meaningful progress.

Transforming fashion digitally

With the emergence of fast fashion and the rise of overproduction, the fashion industry has long been under scrutiny for its environmental footprint. Its biggest challenges include complex global supply chains, rapid changes in consumer demand, reliance on harmful fabrics and dyes, and significant waste from manufacturers and consumers alike.

Digital solutions that are helping the industry move toward more sustainable operations include:

• Cloud systems: Beyond streamlining operations, cloud platforms give fashion brands unified access to operational data across regions.
• Automation: Automated workflows and warehouse processes help reduce human error, minimize fabric and packaging waste, optimize material usage, and improve fulfilment efficiency.
• AI and AI agents: From forecasting trends to optimizing inventory levels, AI allows brands to make more responsible production decisions. Many fashion businesses now use AI agents, like the solutions Fortude helps implement, to track emerging trends, understand true inventory requirements, and trigger the right actions based on real-time data.
• Digital Product Passports (DPPs): As global regulators push for greater transparency, DPPs provide consumers and partners with a complete digital record of a product’s lifecycle, from raw material sourcing and manufacturing conditions to repairability and end-of-life options. These passports help brands prove ethical sourcing, meet circularity goals, reduce greenwashing risks, and build trust with increasingly eco-conscious consumers. Fortude has partnered with Ettos to help fashion businesses improve traceability across their fashion supply chains with solutions like DPPs.

Serving sustainability to the food and beverage (F&B) industry

The F&B industry also has a complex relationship with sustainability. Its challenges include inefficient water and energy use during manufacturing, reliance on harmful ingredients, food spoilage, excessive packaging, and large-scale waste across the value chain.

Technology is helping reshape F&B sustainability in areas such as:

• IoT and smart monitoring: Sensors help track temperature, humidity, and equipment performance, reducing spoilage, improving food safety, and optimizing energy and water use during production.
• Data platforms and analytics: By analyzing patterns across procurement, manufacturing, logistics, and consumer demand, businesses can reduce overproduction, optimize recipes and batch sizes, and identify hotspots of waste.
• Automation: Automated quality checks, portioning, and packaging help reduce inconsistencies, cut down on unused raw materials, and enhance traceability.

Strengthening sustainability in distribution

For industries with complex distribution networks, like fashion, F&B, retail, and wholesale, ensuring transparency and ethicality is essential. Yet, many businesses struggle with supply chain opacity, especially when multiple tiers of suppliers and outsourced partners are involved.

Digital solutions making a difference include:

• Blockchain for traceability: Blockchain creates tamper-proof records of every transaction or material movement. This transparency exposes unethical practices, validates responsible sourcing, and strengthens trust with consumers, regulators, and investors.
• Advanced supply chain visibility platforms: These systems consolidate data from multiple vendors and logistics partners, providing real-time tracking across the entire chain. This helps businesses reduce delays, lower emissions from transportation, and make more responsible routing decisions.
• AI-driven demand and inventory planning: AI-powered forecasting helps reduce unnecessary stock movement, minimize returns, and avoid overstocking, significantly reducing waste and emissions.

The double-edged sword: Using digital solutions wisely

Digital solutions alone won’t make an enterprise more sustainable. They need to be implemented thoughtfully and backed by real accountability. Without a clear plan, companies can fall into the usual digital transformation traps, slowing down progress and missing opportunities to reduce their carbon footprint.

To make technology a force for good, businesses should focus on a few key “green digital transformation” practices:

• Start with transparency: Be open with employees, customers, and partners about your goals, progress, and challenges. People want proof of action, not just promises.
• Report what matters: Strengthen sustainability reporting by tracking and disclosing energy consumption, carbon footprint, and other key environmental metrics. Modern ERP and digital platforms can automatically capture, centralize, and visualize these data points, making it easier for teams to monitor performance, meet reporting requirements, and take action.
• Connect sustainability and tech strategies: Treat sustainability as part of your digital roadmap.
• Choose the right guidance: Work with consultants or partners who understand both sustainability goals and the technologies that can support them.
• Build for long-term impact: Prioritize solutions that reduce waste, lower energy use, and create efficiencies across your value chain.

The road ahead

As enterprises plan for the future, sustainability can’t sit on the sidelines; it has to be woven into every growth strategy. And while digital solutions come with their own environmental footprint, their potential to drive smarter, greener, more efficient operations remains undeniable.

If your organization is exploring how technology can accelerate your sustainability goals, our team is here to help you chart the way forward.