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Summary
As a designer turned sustainability champion, Chris Hammond has played a pivotal role in embedding sustainability into IBM’s product strategy. In this session, he’ll share how a thought leadership initiative led to company-wide awareness and adoption—culminating in CEO Arvind Krishna integrating sustainability into IBM’s business approach. Chris will walk us through the building blocks of this transformation, from executive sponsorship and grassroots momentum to the small wins that paved the way. Hear about the challenges and breakthroughs in shifting an enterprise towards sustainability, including the impact of generative AI and strategies for maintaining momentum amid competing priorities. Expect practical insights on integrating sustainability into design and development, navigating the ebbs and flows of corporate change, and driving meaningful action at scale.
Key Insights
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IBM has publicly reported environmental impact reductions since 1990, showing longstanding commitment.
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Executive sponsorship from CEO Arvin Krishna and Chief Sustainability Officer Christina Shim was critical.
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Client demand through RFIs significantly accelerated the formalization of IBM’s sustainability design practice.
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Acquisition of Envizi in 2022 replaced internal sustainability software development, speeding the journey.
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IBM embedded sustainability into existing design practices like IBM Design Thinking, avoiding bolt-on solutions.
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A practical sustainability checklist helps teams recognize existing sustainable work and identify new opportunities.
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Sustainability practices are integrated into existing design reviews, at times becoming gating factors before product launch.
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Sustainability efforts consider broader impacts—environmental, social, and governance—and encourage whole-team collaboration.
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There is caution against wasteful AI use; AI should be applied to genuinely improve user efficiency and reduce carbon footprint.
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The ultimate goal is embedding sustainability so deeply that dedicated Chief Sustainability Officer roles become unnecessary.
Notable Quotes
"IBM has been publicly disclosing their reductions in environmental impacts since 1990."
"To publish a position paper on behalf of IBM took months of review and executive alignment."
"Clients started asking, what is IBM’s approach to sustainability in our products and services?"
"Don’t be an other means don’t try to force people to stop what they’re doing but build on what’s already working."
"Sustainability is embedded in the way we develop products, not a bolt-on practice."
"AI should be used intentionally to meet user needs and improve efficiency, not just because it's trendy."
"If you get a poor mark in the design and user experience review, you actually don’t ship the product."
"Sustainability consciousness is good for business, it’s a win-win for planet and profit."
"I hope in five years we don’t have Chief Sustainability Officers because sustainability will be embedded."
"You can be the change because you’re not alone; grassroots and executive sponsorship need each other."
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