Whereas 51 per cent of firms in India that participated in the survey agreed that sustainability is a critical differentiator, only 19 per cent of organisations in the country say they are fit for the future.

Almost 70 per cent of FFTF firms have higher profits now than they did a year ago compared with 46 per cent of non-FFTF firms.

81 per cent of FFTF firms forecast higher earnings over the next five years, compared with 62 per cent for non-FFTF firms.

33 per cent of the firms surveyed in Singapore earned the FFTF designation, as did 24 per cent in China, 22 per cent in Australia and 19 per cent in India.

Only 18 per cent of firms report themselves as FFTF in Germany, 14 per cent in the U.K., and 13 per cent in the Netherlands.

Singapore is ahead of the U.S. where 27 per cent of firms say they are FFTF.Fit for the Future enterprises, especially the larger ones, understand the return on investment from focused tech spending.

This philosophy is embraced most in APAC, where firms recognise that sustainability is a critical differentiator: 56 per cent agreed it was in China, 51 per cent in India, 42 per cent in Australia and 32 per cent in Singapore.

69 per cent of APAC FFTF firms say their customers demand environmental sustainability compare with 55 per cent for non-FFTF APAC firms.

"While there is recognition across APAC on the importance of environmental sustainability, there is a clear opportunity for businesses to take more concrete actions, particularly driven by customers and investor demand. Technology plays a key role in helping businesses overcome the barriers and move towards sustainability goals, with over 70 per cent of businesses in APAC agreeing that technology breakthroughs are needed to enable progress," said Bhupinder Singh, President, Asia Pacific & Middle East, at Vodafone Business.