Data for “Good” Means Better Business

“Data for good” most often refers to using data to address societal challenges and create a positive impact. Insights from data can help predict and prevent crises, from homelessness in New York and wildfires in Greece to climate-induced migration and the spread of global pandemics. Most people associate the term with governments or nonprofit organizations. But don’t be shortsighted: Data for good is for everyone. 

In the corporate world, data for good doesn’t need to conflict with business goals. On the contrary, these initiatives demonstrate that "good is better for business," translating ethical practices and corporate social responsibility into strategic advantages. Optimizing shipping routes, for example, serves a dual goal of reducing fuel consumption, causing less harm to the environment, and saving the shipper money and time to market, key business objectives. Not to mention the indirect effects of customers voting with their wallets.

Interest in data for good is growing exponentially — as illustrated by published references in printed sources in Google's text corpora (see chart) and web searches. Snowflake, too, is double-clicking into data for good to solidify the foundation our flagship movement, End Data Disparity, rolls into. 

Snowflake is committed to building partnerships and encouraging data collaboration to address global challenges. And the good news is that experience and research indicate that these ambitions align with our customers' business goals as well. Snowflake is working with customers and partners to increase awareness of the business benefits of “good” practices.

Customers choose “good” 

Our customers understand that their customers care about the economic, social and environmental impact of products and services. Studies have found that:

• Consumers will pay more for sustainable products: According to the U.S. National Retail Federation, multiple studies conclude that between half to two-thirds of consumers said they will pay more for sustainable products. In particular, concerns about the climate drive choices: According to a NielsenIQ survey, "73% of consumers would change their habits to reduce their environmental impact."

• Value-based buying will accelerate: Recent surveys reveal that ESG values particularly influence Generation Z and millennials in their purchasing decisions and career choices. According to the Deloitte 2025 Gen Z and Millennial Survey, 65% of Gen Z and 63% of millennials are willing to pay more for environmentally sustainable products or services. With a projected disposable income of $360 billion, according to Bloomberg, that represents big business. 

• Customers actually do (literally) vote with their feet: Findings of a recent study confirm that negative ESG news significantly impacts consumer store visits, ultimately reducing firms’ financial performance.

   

Data use drives good business

“But I am a B2B business,” some company leaders might argue. “My customers worry more about their bottom line than societal concerns.” And so do we! “Good” practices are good for business, and they are increasingly the best practices. Investments in site locations, choice and geographical sourcing of inputs, supplier selection, and most other business decisions are based on data insights. The results are often more ethical and more fuel efficient. And these aren’t just corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. In fact, for many companies, CSR initiatives are good business decisions and vice versa. So while data for good might seem idealistic, data for good business is very widespread. 

Several Snowflake customers offer examples of the duality of these types of initiatives:

• Cargill pursues both energy efficiency and emissions reduction, using Snowflake to optimize vessel routes to reduce fuel consumption. This directly translates to energy conservation and reduced associated carbon emissions from its shipping operations.

• EDF, a leading energy supplier and Britain's biggest generator of zero-carbon electricity through wind, solar and nuclear power, uses Snowflake to improve its data access and analytics. This enables the company to "better serve its customers, from helping to improve energy efficiency to identifying financially vulnerable users and offering appropriate support” — serving social, environmental and economic goals.

• Völur, a Norwegian food tech startup, uses Snowflake to optimize the meat industry. Its mission is to help meat processors make better decisions that lead to the optimal use of all animals, reducing inventory costs and overall waste in the industry. This directly addresses waste reduction in a significant, carbon-intensive sector.

• NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest municipal health system in the United States, uses data to understand the vulnerable populations it serves and, ultimately, deliver faster, better care to improve lives. Using Snowflake to power its “data hub,” practitioners get faster access to comprehensive views of patients and can more easily collaborate with multiple partners and city agencies.

• NatWest, a major retail and commercial bank in the UK, pursues its own ESG-driven initiatives and helps customers pursue theirs. Based on Snowflake, its platform provides data insights to help the bank reduce its carbon footprint, comply with regulations and better invest to support energy conservation and emissions reduction goals.

The bottom line is that doing good and using data for good delivers significant business benefits, from customer loyalty and brand value to financial benefits and sustainability. 

Stay tuned for more from Snowflake and check out some of the data sets on Snowflake Marketplace that can enrich your “good” initiatives, including geospatial data sets, weather data, demographics and more.