Channel partners “do not have the luxury of abandoning sustainability”, an analyst has stressed as he branded the contention that customers no longer care about the topic as “the biggest myth of the year”.
Closing this year’s Canalys Forums EMEA, Omdia Senior Analyst Ben Caddy acknowledged that sustainability and ESG have suffered a “total system crash” in 2025.
Vendors are now “terrified” to even use sustainability and ESG-related language in the wake of last year’s US election, Caddy added.
“Much more optimistic picture”
But Omdia’s research into the progress the channel is making on sustainability offers a “much more optimistic picture”, Caddy said.
Some 42% of EMEA channel partners told the analyst they are more focused on sustainability this year than in 2024, with a further 39% giving it the same level of priority.
That’s because – despite it being used as a “toxic political football” – sustainability is “critical to your values and your financial resilience”, Caddy said.
“Most importantly, having a credible sustainability strategy, and the data to back it up, can be a massive deal breaker in terms of your ability to do business with some of your most important large customers – especially public sector customers,” Caddy added.
“It’ still coming up in RFPs.
“The biggest myth of the year is that everyone stopped caring about sustainability, and customers stopped caring.
“But it’s critical to so many of your biggest customers, and partners do not have the luxury of abandoning sustainability and ESG just because the political spectrum has swung the other way.”
“Total system crash”
Caddy’s closing keynote came after Omdia itself faced questions from the audience on whether this year’s Canalys Forums EMEA lacked any focus on sustainability. Little did they know that Caddy would have the last word at the event, which was attended by over 1,000 partners across EMEA.
Caddy said it felt “for a moment” like the industry was undergoing a “paradigm shift” on sustainability and ESG as companies moved to appoint Chief Sustainability Officers and eagerly discussed sustainability on earnings calls.
This had a knock-on effect in the channel, with many partners moving to tie sustainability performance to exec pay, or pursue science-based carbon reduction targets.
But the turning of the political tide does offer one important advantage, Caddy said.
“2025 is the year we experienced a total system crash on IT sustainability,” he said.
“But the benefit of that is now we have some clarity.
“We can see those who is chasing the hype and greenwashing, and those who are really focused on sustainability, even though it’s tough right now.
“And for those partners who are truly committed to sustainability despite all this hardship, you are the ones who will reap the new era of IT sustainability opportunity – in the circular economy, in energy efficiency in infrastructure and in digital sustainability.
“The hype has ended and it’s time to get the work done as we look ahead to 2030.”
