The Future of Sustainable Finance 

In recent years, sustainable finance has evolved from a niche topic to a mainstream requirement. With growing awareness at the global level of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, the corporate world increasingly realises the need to integrate sustainability into financial strategies in order to shape the future of corporate investment. This is no longer about corporate responsibility; it’s about meeting investor demands and gaining competitive advantage through green financing, which requires data-driven credibility. 

With the impact that climate change is having on our planet, sustainable goals are more prominent than ever. However, those goals are only meaningful if they are also measurable. CFOs are currently at the forefront to reshape the future of corporate finance and investment, to drive the most social impact and change. 

Finance operations are traditionally known for record keeping and calculations. However, in today’s corporate world, these are now driven by automation and the integration of AI. The introduction of these processes has streamlined operational and repetitive tasks, helping businesses focus on other aspects of their business. 

ESG reporting capabilities, such as IBM Envizi ESG Suite, offer innovative solutions for financial operations including AI-infused Planning, budgeting, forecasting & scenario modelling.  IBM Envizi’s AI-driven greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting also enables you to conduct Scope 1, 2 and 3 carbon emissions accounting functions underpinned by an AI assistant for Scope 3 data categorization. 

ESG performance represents a comprehensive approach regarding the evaluation of a company’s long-term viability, along with its ethical impact. Companies with good ESG performance are generally considered less risky and more resilient. Therefore, investors attracted to sustainability view them as candidates for portfolio addition. The interrelationship between ESG factors, and corporate financial performance, are driving a new era of corporate transparency and accountability. 

Companies that are proactive in managing ESG risks have greater resilience regarding regulatory changes, environmental challenges, and social pressures. Similarly, ESG initiatives can reduce costs by optimising energy use, reducing waste, and enhancing resource management. Strong ESG performance also increases reputation and brand value, improving stakeholder relations from customers to regulators, while attracting those committed to sustainability, and thus yielding a competitive advantage in the market. 

Celestica operates across more than 15 countries, with facilities all over the globe. Before IBM Envizi, they grappled with the classic pitfalls: errors in manual data entry, complex calculations, and a slow reporting process. There was ambition to reduce emissions, but spreadsheets just weren’t helping.  

By centralising sustainability data with IBM Envizi, and automating key processes, they’ve turned those ambitions into reality. They set meaningful targets such as cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2025 and improved both their internal reporting as well as reporting to external frameworks. 

IBM Envizi is set to launch a powerful new Scope 3 Financed Emissions module, designed to help organisations capture, calculate and report emissions across diverse investment portfolios with ease and accuracy. This enterprise-grade solution simplifies the complexity of financed emissions by streamlining data collection, improving Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF) data quality scores, and supporting informed investment decisions. 

The module enables organisations to aggregate emissions data, analyse portfolio impact, develop actionable reduction strategies, and report confidently in line with evolving ESG regulations. By integrating financed emissions with other Scope 1, 2 and 3 data on a single platform, IBM Envizi provides a comprehensive, traceable and audit-ready view of corporate emissions, helping companies reduce manual effort, minimise errors, and strengthen governance. 

Organisations interested in this innovative solution can join the waitlist to be notified as soon as the module becomes available, enabling them to take a proactive, data-driven approach to managing emissions across their investments. 

By utilising IBM Envizi in your business, you can unlock the speed, accuracy, and insights from automated processing of data. In the financial world, this is more important than ever, ensuring time is spent effectively and business decisions are made with sustainability in mind. Empower your team with the power of intelligent automation, innovation integration, and governance and control within your business.  

With IBM’s advanced AI-driven analytics and automation capabilities, you can achieve not only operational efficiency but also meaningful progress towards your sustainability goals, just like Celestica. In addition to improving the transparency of reporting, reducing resource consumption, and enabling responsible investments, IBM Envizi provides the foundation for a data-driven approach to sustainable growth. 

With ESG considerations embedded in everyday workflows and decision-making processes, innovation and integrity go together by building trust with stakeholders, meeting regulatory expectations, and creating long-term value for people and the planet. IBM’s intelligent solutions enable you to turn compliance into an opportunity, ensuring your organisation remains ahead in an increasingly responsible and connected world. 

Get in touch to learn more about how to improve your ESG processes in the corporate world.