Introduction
In recent years, the software development landscape has witnessed a paradigm shift with the growth of low-code platforms. Low-code empowers developers to create applications with minimal coding, significantly reducing the time and resources compared to traditional software development. Beyond the advantage of efficiency, low-code development brings out another decisive factor in the current tech environment: sustainability. In this blog post, we'll explore how and why low-code can contribute to a more sustainable future within software development.
Are you just starting? Check out our blog post on What is Low-Code and why does it matter?
First things first: what is sustainable software development?
If your business wants to be at the forefront of change by advocating for sustainability in tech, that means ensuring your internal processes in app development.
- Minimize CO2 emissions;
- Leverage sustainable tools;
- Decrease the amount of resources needed for development;
- Reduce any wasteful activities within the development process.
One example of sustainability in app development is rethinking the energy consumption applied to storage information through the many data centers and its consequent CO2 emissions. Understanding where data is stored helps you make more informed decisions on sustainability for app development.
Why should your business care?
The demand for software and application development is growing tremendously, and as a consequence, so are its implications for the environment. Consumers are no longer unaware of the impacts of technology, and according to reports, they are 77% more likely to buy and consume from socially responsible businesses.
Low-code and Sustainable App Development
- Faster Time-to-Market: Time is a critical factor in the sustainability of any development process. The longer it takes to develop and deploy software, the greater the resources consumed and the environmental impact. Low-code platforms offer pre-built templates, drag-and-drop functionalities, and visual development interfaces. According to Mendix, low-code technologies can decrease development time by 90%. This acceleration benefits businesses by allowing them to respond quickly to market demands and contributes to a more sustainable software development ecosystem.
- Democratization of Technology: More than productivity and speed, low-code can bring a positive social impact through the empowerment of citizen developers. By reusing tools, resources and sharing know-how, citizen developers can work towards reducing waste and improving reusability within application development. Also, sharing knowledge ensures that the application development process is not dependent on a few specialized individuals. The collaborative environment resulting from the collaboration is more resilient and generates a more adaptable workforce.
An initiative empowering citizen developers is the Low-code for Good from Mendix, which empowers non-technical and technical people, regardless of their background, to build innovative digital solutions through the speed provided by the Mendix low-code platform.
- Continuous Improvement and Adaptability: Sustainability also involves creating systems that adapt to changing requirements and technologies over time. Low-code platforms encourage modular and scalable development, allowing businesses to continuously update their applications without requiring extensive redevelopment. The result is a better and more sustainable approach to software development, ensuring that applications remain relevant and functional in the long term.
A new paradigm: ESG
The framework called ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) has been used by businesses to understand organizations’ practices on issues related to sustainability and ethics. It provides a way to measure a business’ efforts in those areas, also being leveraged by investors as a tool to make decisions on allocating funds as more investors look for companies that contribute to business sustainability in the long term.
The ESG pillars include reducing energy usage and waste, providing a living wage for workers, promoting workplace health, and applying ethical business practices.
“both individual and institutional investors who consider ESG issues want to use their money to support companies that align with their own values on environmental sustainability and social responsibility.”
Source: TechTarget
Check out Mendix’s Sustaira: an application platform to track your business’s ESG, integrated into your existing internal and external systems through APIs or managed integrations.
Still not convinced?
According to Gartner, by 2025, 70% of all applications will be developed through low-code technologies.
If your business aims to promote sustainable practices, low-code is an essential step in this journey.
Do you still need to decide about whether to invest in low-code? See what questions to ask when considering Application Development Platforms for your business in our FREE GUIDE.
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