CW500 Interview: Mattie Yeta, sustainability lead, Defra

Ethics and sustainability are topics increasingly popping up, especially when it comes to the world of technology. As technology adoption increases and the public's perception of firms changes, organisations are being forced into being more conscious of their ethical and sustainable approach to technology adoption. 

In this CW500 video, Mattie Yeta, sustainability lead at Defra, shares her opinions and advice for focusing on ethics and sustainability when it comes to technology adoption and creation, as well as why these are important issues for government IT. 

Yeta tells Computer Weekly about the government's drive to include ethics and sustainability in technology contracts and ways of working, labeling sustainability in the technology sector as "important" due to the amount of greenhouse gasses it produces. . 

She said looking deeper into sustainability is an opportunity to change the way businesses work, but that sustainability needs to be driven by leadership, and fully embedded in business operations going forward. 

For people starting on their sustainability and ethics journey, Yeta advised appointing a dedicated person to manage sustainability across the business, and ensure it is part of all future contracts and procurement.