IT Markets and the Environment

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Full article: Corporate US Goes Green (3-Sep-07)

Doing good for the environment while doing good business is a trend that is gaining momentum in corporate America. 73% of U.S. workers say they want their employers to be more environmentally responsible. Being green is very powerful from a cultural point of view in the office.

Full article: Green Leaders: A Guide to the World's Greenest Companies (1-Jun-07)

The Top 10 companies in both the UK and the world, as rated by Eiris.

Britain's Top Ten

  • 1. Kingfisher
  • 2. BT
  • 3. Biffa
  • 4. BP
  • 5. Unilever
  • 6. Severn Trent
  • 7. J Sainsbury
  • 8. BSkyB
  • 9. BHP Billiton
  • 10. M&S

Global Top Ten

  • 1. Vestas Wind Systems
  • 2. Svenska Cellulosa
  • 3. ABN-Amro
  • 4. MTR
  • 5. Ericsson
  • 6. Westpac Banking
  • 7. Kingfisher
  • 8. Phillps
  • 9. BT
  • =10. Matsushita
  • =10. Sanyo
  • =10. ABB

Full article: The greening of telecommunications (Aug-07)

The telecommunications industry has largely considered itself a good citizen when it comes to the environment and, in comparison to many others, it is. But it cannot rest on its laurels. An old perennial is the vast amount of paper used to produce telephone directories each year. Why do we persist in doing this? Online is best when it comes to directories. One issue that generates a great deal of emotion from time to time, is the mining and use of coltan (columbite-tantalite) ore. Coltan is a key component of mobile phones and IT equipment. Australia is a major source, where the ore is just one of many. It's a toxic substance that should be carefully recycled - and isn't when we throw out our old phones and computers. But coltan is also the 'blood diamond' issue for the industry. In the Congo, the mining of coltan has funded and prolonged a civil war in the east of the country. It has spawned a global movement under the banner of 'No blood on my cell phone!'.

Telecommunications purists will say this is an IT and consumer-electronics issue. But the telecommunications industry has benefited mightily from the popularity of mobile phones. Mobility has transformed the industry. It must respond with comprehensive recycling programmes and environmentally credible processes for reclaiming valuable and toxic components.

BT in the UK recently announced a renewed set of initiatives to improve its environmental credentials. Well done BT we say. We look for more in the industry to follow this lead.

Full article: Your Green IT Questions Answered (11-Sep-07)

A panel of three 'experts' answer questions put to them by VNUnet. Some intriguing answers:

  1. To get the board's attention on green issues, focus on cost.
  2. Many outsourcing companies are arguing it's greener to outsource IT to them. The panel seemed to agree that they will be leaders in green IT.
  3. When buying new hardware, customers should factor in the carbon footprint of the manufacturing process.

Full article: More Companies Want Outsource Vendors to Green Operations (20-Aug-07)

A growing majority of corporate decision makers will consider green credentials when selecting outsourcing companies, a recent study suggests. Brown-Wilson Group, a Florida company that studies the outsourcing industry, concluded that more corporations are dumping environmentally-unfriendly outsourcers in a trend expected to continue.

  • Public companies are more likely to work green practices into future outsourcing contracts because of regulatory, shareholder and customer concerns, the survey found. More than 21% of public companies have already added green policies into existing contracts while more than 94% of respondents intend to add green clauses when they go to renegotiate.
  • By comparison, 36% of private companies are now contemplating green policies for 2008 outsourcing contracts.
  • Nearly 90% of outsourcing decision-makers indicated that environmental stewardship will influence the outsourcing choices they will make when contracts come up for bid during the next year.

Why WFH isn't always so green (4-Jul-07)

The electricity used by home PCs doubled between 2000 and 2005, according to the Energy Saving Trust. Consumption is forecast to grow a further 30% between 2006 and 2020 as users install higher-spec (and therefore more energy-intensive) machines. Home-working is often touted as a way of cutting CO2 emissions, but employees should take steps to reduce their power consumption. The difference between an energy-efficient PC with a ‘sleep’ mode and a PC left on 24x7 can be more than £100 per year in electricity. In 2005, 9% of the domestic electricity bill was due to PCs and their peripherals; by 2020, computers and other gadgets will account for 45% of electricity used in the home.

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