Impact

Companies embracing collaboration for sustainable change

HP’s Chief Commercial Officer Dave McQuarrie on why prioritizing collective impact can drive purposeful business at scale.

By Dave McQuarrie — August 1, 2023

I’ve lived in many beautiful countries around the world and have seen firsthand the impact of climate change — from forest fires and droughts to hurricanes and floods. Big challenges require big solutions, and while these challenges may feel bigger than most, solutions are within reach if we take the right approach. 

People will continue to embrace new ways of living and working to protect our planet. Companies have an equal responsibility to drive Sustainable Impact, and together we can achieve our goals at greater scale. Collectively, businesses can deliver purposeful innovations that will make our world better for future generations. 

HP already has a long track record of doing just that: It’s the only tech company globally to receive a Triple A score by the CDP, a global environmental disclosure system; it sits at the top of Newsweek’s 2023 list of America’s Most Responsible Companies; and has received a remarkable seven Green Good Design Awards for responsible design and manufacturing. 

Now we’re bringing partners into the fold with the opportunity to join HP in its efforts across climate action, human rights, and digital equity.

Illustration by Sol Cotti

An ecosystem of accountability 

HP Amplify Impact represents a first-of-its-kind assessment, resource, and training program, leveraging the company’s own extensive investments and initiatives to help partners along their own sustainability journeys. 

Working together, we can advance technology and solutions much further than we could alone. But to achieve our goals, we also have to establish a strong foundation. Optimizing core operations is a key priority for businesses, including HP. For business leaders, this means ensuring that sustainability plans are supported by the resources, structure, and technology they need to strengthen operations. 

 

RELATED: How HP plans to Go Beyond its Sustainable Impact efforts

 

HP has set an ambitious goal of enrolling at least 50% of its HP Amplify partners in the voluntary program by 2025. To date, more than one-third of eligible partners have signed the pledge. 

We recognized our impact is greater when we tap into the collective power of our ecosystem, and we’re doing that by offering our partners resources to develop robust — and profitable — sustainability solutions. 

Over the past 18 months, HP Amplify Impact partners drove more than 7,000 deals that can be attributed to their commitment to sustainability. The value proposition of collective action couldn’t be clearer. And the success our partners have seen is a testament to the power of activating an ecosystem to drive change. 

Purposeful solutions bring the customer back to the center 

Adopting a one-size-fits-all approach to sustainable impact is a thing of the past. Purposeful business systems will be a key differentiator for companies in the coming years, but only when they’re conceptualized, designed, and sold in a way that places the customer’s needs at the core. Innovation isn’t just about what is created — it’s about who it is created for. 

Climate action isn’t just good for the planet and the communities we do business in. It’s also good for customers and, therefore, our channel partners’ bottom line. Just two years ago, only 58% of consumers across all generations were willing to spend more for sustainable options. Today, two-thirds of consumers say they will pay more for sustainable products. 

And the top tier of sustainability-minded companies realized 83% higher revenue per employee on average from 2020 to 2021 compared with their less sustainability-minded peers. 

With a relentless focus on customers at the core of everything we do, we’re committed to deeply understanding the customer experience and empowering our partners to do the same. Our Future Ready plan was developed with this in mind. Not only do we want to be known for our products, we also want to be known for the role we play in the lives of our customers.

Agile thinking accelerates corporate sustainability 

To keep pace, we have to lead with agility by looking for new ways to align sustainable business principles and day-to-day operations. It is predicted that sustainability performance will be viewed as one of the top three factors for IT equipment purchases by 2026, and more than 50% of requests for proposals will include metrics regarding carbon emissions, material use, and labor conditions. 

Companies that adopt a more agile and flexible approach will benefit most. In 2021, Truis, an Australia-based IT services company and longtime partner, was empowered by HP Amplify Impact to lay out a road map for a more sustainable future. In just one year, it reduced landfill waste by 30% and brought in more than $1 million in revenue as a result of its sustainability efforts. This is just one example of how we can inspire collective action while unlocking profitability. 

Protecting the planet is our combined responsibility. Together, we have the opportunity to build momentum and invest in a culture centered around collective impact, innovation, and productivity that can truly empower action.

 

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