The U.K.-based research firm Verdantix has created a new guide to help companies navigate what it calls a “new era” of sustainable business software.

The company surveyed 65 software vendors and found a landscape crowded with 126 sustainable business applications, a 406 percent increase between 2005 and 2010. They can be broken down along four broad categories, with carbon management software applications being the most prevalent among vendors, followed by CSR/sustainability reporting, energy management, and compliance-based applications.

Leading software vendors have moved to integrate the various sustainability processes into a single platform, said Verdantix Director David Metcalfe in a statement.

“A new era of sustainable business software has arrived, driven by a boom in supply side activity which anticipates the increasingly strategic nature of sustainability,” Metcalfe said. “But our analysis suggests that software providers in this space must cross the chasm. During the next 18 months suppliers need to expand their customer base from visionary buyers like News Corp. and Tesco to early majority buyers.”

Verdantix advised buyers to look to vendors whose existing client base resembles their own profile. Metcalfe warned companies to choose their vendors wisely because just a handful will survive consolidation within the industry.

The report is available to existing Verdantix members, or available to non-members for £300 (about US$450).

The U.K.-based research firm Verdantix has created a new guide to help companies navigate what it calls a “new era” of sustainable business software.

The company surveyed 65 software vendors and found a landscape crowded with 126 sustainable business applications, a 406 percent increase between 2005 and 2010. They can be broken down along four broad categories, with carbon management software applications being the most prevalent among vendors, followed by CSR/sustainability reporting, energy management, and compliance-based applications.

Leading software vendors have moved to integrate the various sustainability processes into a single platform, said Verdantix Director David Metcalfe in a statement.

“A new era of sustainable business software has arrived, driven by a boom in supply side activity which anticipates the increasingly strategic nature of sustainability,” Metcalfe said. “But our analysis suggests that software providers in this space must cross the chasm. During the next 18 months suppliers need to expand their customer base from visionary buyers like News Corp. and Tesco to early majority buyers.”

Verdantix advised buyers to look to vendors whose existing client base resembles their own profile. Metcalfe warned companies to choose their vendors wisely because just a handful will survive consolidation within the industry.

The report is available to existing Verdantix members, or available to non-members for £300 (about US$450).