Towards an Ecosystem Model in Enabling Sustainability Transition: The Case of Finnish Government Sustainability Strategy for the ICT Sector

Abstract

As nations across the globe race towards setting ambitious net-zero targets either because of international regulations or national strategies, the Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communication unveiled the climate and environment strategy for the ICT sector in 2021. This study investigates the challenges and barriers to adopting sustainability practices in the ICT sector and how creating a green ICT ecosystem fosters stakeholder engagement toward the adoption of sustainability practices among Finnish ICT companies. Insights and experiences were drawn from the Green ICT Project, launched in 2021 with the aim of increasing sustainability awareness among Finnish ICT companies. Primary data was collected through a survey and interviews among the top 250 ICT companies in Finland to ascertain how the Finnish government’s climate strategy for the ICT sector impacted companies’ integration of sustainability concerns into their corporate strategy, processes, and products. The findings reveal a low level of sustainability practices and a notable contrast between larger corporations and micro enterprises regarding their awareness of the Government’s strategy and its substantive content. Consequently, two ICT sustainability models are proposed to empower ecosystem leaders and companies in addressing sustainability transition challenges.