TCS, Auckland Business School launch Digital Sustainability Index

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on Friday said it has partnered with the Centre of Digital Enterprise (CODE) at the University of Auckland Business School in New Zealand to develop the first Asia Pacific-focused Digital Sustainability Index.

The new index will track the adoption and leverage of digital technologies by enterprises for their growth and transformation, and for discharging their social and environmental responsibilities, to create longer term value for all stakeholders.

The APAC-focused Digital Sustainability Index will evaluate current sustainability efforts undertaken by companies and governments, identify digital sustainability market leaders in the region, and uncover the factors critical to the development of sustainable digital solutions.

"By creating a clear evaluation framework for digital sustainability, we will be able to help businesses, communities and governments find new opportunities and celebrate the successes of their sustainability activities," Girish Ramachandran, President TCS Asia Pacific, said in a statement.

A research report will uncover deep insights into key digital sustainability efforts around the region and rank these via the index, TCS said.

The findings will be launched in mid-2021 and will highlight best practices, key challenges and opportunities for businesses and executives across the region, it added.

Subsequently, CODE and TCS expect to publish the index on an annual basis.

The index "will help us better understand how technology impacts business performance, and how our world continues to evolve with the advent of new technologies," said Ilan Oshri, Professor at the University of Auckland Business School.

"Never has the impact of technology on the community and sustainable innovation been more relevant and more necessary," he added.