In today's business landscape, a commitment to sustainability principles is no longer a "nice-to-have" — it's a key strategic pillar for many organizations. According to PwC Global Investor Survey 2024, 71% of investors agree that companies should incorporate sustainability directly into their corporate strategy. Another factor driving companies to action are regulations being set on the global stage. The question is no longer if organizations should act, but how.
While many organizations remain focused on improving sustainability in supply chains and energy consumption, your Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution can also be a catalyst for achieving your sustainability goals.
A modern, cloud-based IAM platform like Okta could help your organization reduce its carbon footprint in different ways, as outlined below.
Cutting Carbon with Increased Sign-ups for Paperless Billing
Utility companies have a unique opportunity to reduce their environmental impact by encouraging customers to switch from paper to online billing. Paper invoicing generates three times more CO2 than its electronic counterpart.
However, a clunky and frustrating registration process can lead to high abandonment rates, hindering the adoption of e-bills. By providing a frictionless and secure account registration process with features like social logins and progressive profiling, Okta and Auth0 can help to maximize sign-ups and increase the adoption of paperless billing. For example, Okta customer Engie saw a 12 point increase in subscribers to their online invoice service, with the adoption rate jumping from 52% to 64%.
Enabling Sustainable and Remote Work with a Secure Identity Platform
The rise of remote and hybrid work has presented a powerful opportunity to reduce carbon emissions. By enabling secure remote access and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies, organizations can significantly cut down on employee commutes and the need to introduce new devices. Teleworking can result in 60% less CO2 emissions compared to commuting, and BYOD policies can reduce mobile device production (each unit represents around 55kg of CO2 emission).
Okta's comprehensive Identity platform allows your workforce to securely access applications from anywhere, on any device. With features like Adaptive MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication), which controls access based on context, and deep integrations with third-party security solutions, you can securely embrace flexible work models and contribute to your sustainability goals.
Decreasing Malicious Authentications and Their Environmental Impacts
Every digital interaction has a small but measurable carbon footprint. For each login that requires a second factor of authentication, a small amount of CO2 is produced (measured by some at >0.03g per email and 0.014g per SMS). While this may seem insignificant on an individual level, it can add up quickly, especially when you consider the high volume of malicious login attempts that many organizations face. Credential stuffing and bot attacks can generate a significant number of unnecessary MFA prompts, amplifying the environmental impact.
By implementing Single Sign-On (SSO) and proactively blocking attacks with features like bot detection and brute force protection, Okta and Auth0 can significantly reduce the number of MFA prompts, leading to a decrease in CO2 emissions. With 16.9% of login attempts across the Auth0 platform exhibiting malicious behavior, adopting Auth0 has the potential to reduce carbon emissions in addition to its other great benefits.
Fostering a Greener Retail Experience by Increasing Online Conversions
For retail companies, a meaningful portion of their carbon footprint comes from physical stores – from customer travel to in-store energy consumption. Shifting sales to e-commerce platforms has the potential to decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. One study found that on average, e-commerce can cut GHG emissions by 17% versus traditional retail by eliminating the energy demands of physical stores and replacing customer trips with more efficient deliveries (this study included occasional scenarios like “rush delivery” and frequent customer returns, which typically can cause emissions to sharply escalate).
A key contributor to maximizing this e-commerce shift is a frictionless online customer experience. A smooth process, particularly during authentication and checkout, is crucial for increasing conversion rates. By implementing features like passwordless access, social logins, and self-service credential management, Auth0 customers reported a 15% percent increase in customer registrations or online purchases.
Leveraging Sustainable Cloud Infrastructure
Finally, the infrastructure that your IAM solution is built on matters. On-premise infrastructure can be inefficient and could lead to increased GHG emissions compared to thoughtfully-designed, cloud-based solutions. As native SaaS solutions, Okta and Auth0 are built on the highly efficient and low-carbon AWS cloud. AWS infrastructure has been found to be 4.1 times more efficient than on-premises alternatives, and in 2023, 100% of the electricity consumed by AWS was matched with renewable energy sources. By choosing a cloud-native IAM provider, like Okta and Auth0, you are not only benefiting from economies of scale but also from a commitment to sustainable infrastructure. For example, Hitachi reduced its CO2 emissions by 41 tons per year by eliminating on-premise authentication servers with Okta.
Identity: A Relevant Component of Your Sustainability Strategy
As you can see, your IAM solution can have a far-reaching impact on your organization's sustainability goals. By choosing a modern, cloud-based platform like Okta and Auth0, you can not only enhance your security and improve user experiences but also contribute to a more sustainable future.
