Sorry Americas, EMEA Channel Partners Still Lead in Sustainability

Channel partners in the Americas lag “many years behind” on sustainability compared to their peers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific (APAC). That’s according to new global research from analysts at Canalys.

EMEA channel partners continue to lead the charge on sustainability. APAC partners have also been demonstrating an increasing commitment. However, Canalys said “most partners in the Americas remain many years behind. They need to catch up in terms of dedicating resources and tracking vital sustainability [key performance indicators].”

According to 2022 research by Canalys and Schneider Electric, 75% of European partners already have at least one person focused on ESG (environment, social, governance). More than 75% of customer RFPs have sustainability criteria included.

But despite ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty, the new Canalys survey found that sustainability remains a priority for many partners in 2023. But partners’ journeys toward it are many and varied. Some have already embarked on their journeys, while others are still on the starting blocks. This, said Canalys, signifies “an industry in the middle of transformative change.”

Canalys’ Rachel Brindley

Sustainability is becoming more than just a value-add, said Rachel Brindley, senior director, channels, Canalys.

“It’s becoming an expectation and will become a recruitment and retention tool,” wrote Brindley. “It’s increasingly clear that those partners and vendors neglecting sustainability will risk being left behind and will become less relevant to prospects and customers. It’s vital that all stakeholders across the channel ecosystem collaborate to create new, more sustainable business practices.”

Check out the five key findings from the research in the slideshow above.