Microsoft has announced the introduction of a set of fresh data and AI solutions to its sustainability platform, Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability. These tools are designed to facilitate faster ESG data analytics, enhance sustainability data management and reporting, and enable the collection and analysis of data across the entire value chain.
The Cloud for Sustainability platform was initially launched in 2021, with a focus on assisting companies in recording, reporting, reducing, and replacing their emissions through Software as a Service (SaaS) tools. Microsoft later integrated the platform with Sustainability Manager, a data intelligence solution providing organizations with an increasingly automated overview of the emissions impact throughout their operations and value chain.
Among the new tools now available in preview is a sustainability data solution within Microsoft’s recently introduced AI-powered Microsoft Fabric. This tool allows organizations to connect ESG data with enterprise data from various sources, offering meaningful insights for analysis, regulatory reporting, and progress tracking against public data and industry benchmarks.
Additional AI-driven solutions released in preview include Copilot in Microsoft Sustainability Manager, enabling organizations to use generative AI and natural language queries for quick analysis of environmental data. Intelligent insights in Microsoft Sustainability Manager, another AI-based solution, leverages an integrated and interactive AI model for in-depth analysis of calculated emissions data. This includes identifying areas where more complete data is needed, pinpointing reduction opportunities, and refining decisions based on historical trends, seasonality, and data anomalies.
Microsoft has also announced the general availability of the ESG value chain solution in Microsoft Sustainability Manager. This solution simplifies data collection, enhances security for suppliers, and enables advanced analytics on ESG value chain data. Users can identify emissions reduction opportunities within the value chain through this offering.