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Technology

Driving just and sustainable digital transformation

The tech industry today is managing a complex range of sustainability and human rights issues.

These include:

  • Materials and energy consumption
  • E-waste
  • Ethical development and use of artificial intelligence (AI)
  • Algorithmic bias and discrimination
  • User privacy and security
  • Illegal and harmful online content, such as hate speech and disinformation

Many tech companies are already taking steps to embed just and sustainable business strategies into their products, operations, and supply chains. Doing so can reduce their negative impacts on the environment and society while simultaneously driving competitive advantage and market value.

Leading tech companies are going one step further in a few key areas. They are integrating human rights-based approaches across the technology value chain, and they are also seeking innovative ways to deploy their own digital products and services to accelerate and expand sustainability for themselves and other stakeholders, like improved product access for a diverse customer base or more energy-efficient operations for suppliers. From leveraging data processing products to speed up efforts to achieve net-zero GHG emissions to utilizing digital tolls to eradicate human trafficking, leading tech companies are deploying their resources and core competencies in unique and powerful ways.

80%

Trust in the Internet has dropped significantly; a November 2022 survey revealed that only six in ten (63 percent) users on average across 20 countries fully trust the Internet. Nearly 80 percent also express worry about their online privacy.

27%

27 percent of the population in low-income countries use the Internet.

20%

Digital technology has the potential to help reduce global carbon emissions by up to 20 percent.

How We Can Help

Adding Value to Your Business and Society

BSR’s team brings decades’ worth of experience consulting on sustainability with companies across the technology industry, from telecoms to social media, software and network hardware, semiconductor to consumer electronics and climate strategy, scenario analysis, and disclosure.

We help tech companies integrate environmental sustainability and social responsibility into their business strategies, operations, and supply chains through a variety of offerings, including:

Comprehensive and issue-specific sustainability strategy, materiality analysis, and reporting icon

Comprehensive and issue-specific sustainability strategy, materiality analysis, and reporting

Climate strategy, TCFD scenario analysis icon

Climate strategy, TCFD scenario analysis

DEI assessment, strategy icon

DEI assessment, strategy

Stakeholder engagement strategy icon

Stakeholder engagement strategy

Human rights due diligence (including human rights impact assessments, salience assessments, product reviews, etc.) icon

Human rights due diligence (including human rights impact assessments, salience assessments, product reviews, etc.)

Human rights policies, strategies, and reporting icon

Human rights policies, strategies, and reporting

AI principles development and review icon

AI principles development and review

Supply chain sustainability icon

Supply chain sustainability

Support on compliance with human rights aspects of relevant regulations icon

Support on compliance with human rights aspects of relevant regulations

Who We Work With

ServiceNow, Inc. logo
SAP SE logo
Box, Inc. logo
Dell Inc. logo
Google LLC logo
Meta Platforms, Inc. logo

Sustainability Insights

A Human Rights Assessment of the Generative AI Value Chain  thumbnail image
Blog

A Human Rights Assessment of the Generative AI Value Chain

In the coming months, BSR will be conducting a sector-wide human rights assessment (HRA) of GenAI to identify human rights risks across the value chain, from upstream data workers to model developers and end-users, and make recommendations on how to address these risks.

Collaboration

Collective Solutions for Meaningful Impact

Our cross-sector collaborative initiatives and partnerships ensure that no company is alone in addressing systemic sustainability challenges. Collaboration is a powerful enabler for companies seeking to transform their businesses, while making a meaningful impact.

Our Experts

Depth of Experience and Knowledge

Our team has extensive boardroom and field experience with technology companies.

Dunstan Allison-Hope portrait

Dunstan Allison-Hope

Senior Advisor

San Francisco

Asako Nagai portrait

Asako Nagai

Managing Director, Technology Sectors

Tokyo

Lindsey Andersen portrait

Lindsey Andersen

Associate Director, Human Rights

San Francisco

Hannah Darnton portrait

Hannah Darnton

Director, Technology and Human Rights

San Francisco

Kelly Gallo portrait

Kelly Gallo

Director, Technology Sectors

San Francisco

Jonathan Morris portrait

Jonathan Morris

Associate Director, Technology Sectors

Paris

Richard Wingfield portrait

Richard Wingfield

Director, Technology Sectors

London

Lale Tekişalp portrait

Lale Tekişalp

Associate Director, Technology Sectors

San Francisco

Let’s talk about how BSR can help you to transform your business and achieve your sustainability goals.

Contact Us