Sorry Americas, EMEA Channel Partners Still Lead in Sustainability
Channel partners in the Americas are “many years behind” on sustainability compared to those in EMEA and APAC, says Canalys.
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The Canalys research revealed that the circular economy, which emphasizes the repair, reuse and recycling of products, is gradually growing in the channel. Yet, increasing customer awareness and changing perceptions around refurbished hardware remain a significant challenge.
Moreover, persistent data privacy concerns and an unwavering vendor focus on new hardware sales are among the ongoing hurdles to the further adoption of circular models.
Canalys suggests that increasing regulatory pressures and global energy crises are key factors driving channel partners toward more sustainable solutions. The looming threat of stringent environmental regulations (especially in EMEA) is compelling partners to tackle sustainability.
This is not only as an ethical imperative but also from a compliance perspective, said Canalys.
For partners, sustainability isn’t just about having green offerings, said the research. It’s about weaving sustainability into the very fabric of their organizations. This understanding has resulted in internal training being recognized as a vital investment area, particularly for sales, services and technical teams. This ensures they are adept at promoting and delivering sustainable products and services.
The survey shows that vendors play a pivotal role in shaping partners’ sustainability progress. They are in the driving seat to decarbonize supply chains, support circular models and provide the necessary training for partners. But the research also highlights that partners need more support from vendors to help them support their (and their customers’) sustainability objectives.
The top global challenges for partners included customer awareness (51%), data privacy concerns (46%) and vendors discouraging circular models (36%). This requires “a call to bring about a shift in go-to-market sales culture, to enhance our refurbishing and recycling capabilities and, most importantly, to engage all customers in the journey to sustainability.”
The top global challenges for partners included customer awareness (51%), data privacy concerns (46%) and vendors discouraging circular models (36%). This requires “a call to bring about a shift in go-to-market sales culture, to enhance our refurbishing and recycling capabilities and, most importantly, to engage all customers in the journey to 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.
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