Software AG announced the results of a new global survey of over 2,000 senior IT decision-makers from the U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany and France. It finds that the majority (84%) of organizations will prioritize commercial objectives over sustainability in the face of economic challenges. This is despite the fact that almost all (95%) leaders agree sustainability is either a top or high priority and a similar number (97%) agree that other firms' sustainability credentials are either essential or important in their own buying decisions.

The annual Reality Check report seeks to investigate how technology initiatives can benefit both sustainability and commercial objectives. Despite the difficulties of delivering sustainability initiatives, 87% of companies believe that they will lose investors if they don't have a clear strategy and many lack the technology to deliver one. In almost a third (32%) of cases the necessary technology is simply not in place.

And even when it is available, it is poorly implemented or used by almost half (47%) of companies. In particular, 36% say that they are unable to effectively track the progress of sustainability initiatives to determine whether they are effective. The majority (87%) of organizations tackle sustainability and digital transformation separately.

The Reality Check report shows how an integrated approach can address multiple challenges at once. Promisingly, a third (33%) of organizations have already integrated sustainability plans into their technology roadmap.