Acting for a greater good

Louise Durack.

With Intel taking the number one spot in the recent 100 Best Corporate Citizens List as the organisation which best combined business goals with responsible practices, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) of IT firms is increasingly coming under scrutiny.

IT, of course, is a significant contributing industry to greenhouse gases as a result of computers, power, airconditioning, manufacturing and “system idle time,” so no surprise then from an environmental standpoint.

Many vendors, distributors and resellers have however, jumped on the Green IT bandwagon, claiming to be active ‘in doing their bit’ for the environment, as well as ensuring that suppliers comply to standards concerning packaging and recycling. But of course, it’s not just the environment that is at stake.

Community involvement, philanthropy, employee relations, supply chain management and corporate governance are just some of the all-important areas which can fall under the CSR banner.

And giving back to society, whether it be economically, socially or environmentally, is according to many, good for business.

But does operating with uncompromising integrity mean compromising on business profitability? The answer is no, according to global technology company Dimension Data.

The organisation made the decision four years ago to implement a focused CSR program as a sustainable framework for investment in its local community that could provide a win-win situation for all concerned.

Steve Nola, CEO for the organisation, said that prior to 2004, Dimension Data was simply writing cheques to local charities that had no real engagement with the company.

“For an IT organisation to have a successful CSR strategy, we realised that it needs to be embedded within its corporate DNA and then use this to form really strong engagement with its charitable interests,” said Nola.

As part of this belief, Dimension Data formulated its ‘Heads, Hearts and Hands’ program which seeks to use its business strength for altruistic purposes in the community, as well as support its staff’s aim to ‘give something back’.

“Over the last 12 months, we have seen 82 percent of our staff participating in our CSR program, which is very encouraging,” said Nola.

Focusing on education, children and the environment, Nola is adamant that a successful CSR program must also originate from the desire of its staff. “If it is just something that is concocted by management, then it is not going to work.

“Rather than it just being an adjunct to the business, a policy such as this needs to come from the heart of the staff who will be integral to working and implementing the program’s philosophy.

”In addition, said Nola, the Dimension Data program is designed to be interactive with its customers.

“Heads, Hearts and Hands really does drive our go-to-market ideas and aligns with what our customers want from us,” he says. He highlights the company’s current environmental initiatives such as helping clients reduce the power emissions from their data centres. “If we can help our customers reduce their carbon footprint, then that often aligns with their own CSR strategy.

“This obviously furthers our relationships with them and has knock-on commercial benefits for all – us, them and the environment,” Nola said.

A green outlook

Having unveiled the industry’s first Green Ethernet technology for network connectivity, D-Link marketing director Australia and New Zealand, Maurice Famularo, said the company likes to think it is at the forefront of ‘Green’ thinking. Both D-Link and its suppliers’ products conform to environmentally
friendly local standards, including for disposal and recycling.

However Famularo believes that government legislation is still not quite in place yet regarding IT. Whilst directives such as RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) and WEEE (Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment) have been firmly embedded for some time, measures still have some way to go, he said.

“The trouble is things are changing all the time. New research concerning the environment is constantly evolving and this makes it hard for legislation and companies to keep pace.”

He said the industry also needs to be honest with itself regarding what it is and isn’t able to achieve. “From a reseller perspective, if they are going to only worry about the environment or CSR, then it is obvious they are going to quickly see themselves losing money!

For this reason, Famularo agrees that resellers should be incorporating Green thinking into their overall company views – both in terms of product functionality and manufacture – as well as the corporate mind set. “Everything, from how they use their print paper and toner to turning off the PCs at night, should be incorporated into how business is conducted.”
He points out that despite the feeling that resellers may have of just being “a very small piece in a very small chain, it is still better to do something for the environment, rather than nothing”.

Famularo believes there are many opportunities for resellers to reflect the environmental practices of the big vendors and that if this continues to occur as it is currently, “then this will simply force more vendors to comply with eco-friendly business plans, creating more competition and a positive situation for everyone”.

“Resellers certainly have their role to play in the promotion of green products to their customers, primarily to encourage more of this product to come from the vendors.

“I think that those companies who do not have an eco policy in place within the next few years are going to seriously miss out,” said Famularo.

Andrew Hocking is IBM’s corporate citizenship and corporate affairs manager, Australia and New Zealand. He reaffirms reseller belief that not only is CSR good for business, but that it must be “embedded within a good business strategy if it is to work for the company, its stakeholders and the community”.

“If CSR is properly aligned with the corporate strategy, then companies will quickly be able to see how their brand and reputation in the marketplace can be significantly enhanced.”

With a backdrop of the Australian professional skills shortage, Hocking added that CSR has an important role to play in attracting and retaining skilled staff. “A company with a good diversity policy has a good chance of becoming an employer of choice, with a workforce that will go on to attract a more diverse range of business clients.”

Mathew Dickerson, senior networking consultant from AXXIS Technology believes it is the small things that resellers can do regarding CSR that are often the most effective. Aside from its involvement with local fund-raising events, Dickerson said the Dubbo-based company is keen to maximise remote working amongst its staff as a way of reducing its carbon footprint.

“We try to attend to clients on site as little as possible, as we often have particularly long distances to cover. Not only is this better for the environment and cheaper and quicker for us as a company, but we are also able to pass those cost savings onto customers in terms of product,” he said.

On the environmental theme again, Dickerson said AXXIS is currently investigating the use of Intel vPro technology as a way to further increase remote PC monitoring, with powering up and down occuring during the night.

“Sometimes we find that some environmental initiatives we have for clients can be slightly more expensive for customers, but generally we find that they themselves, also welcome the opportunity to do a bit for the planet.

“I think it is those resellers looking towards the long-term environmental benefits now who will also gain the eventual financial advantage when companies are actively seeking to partner with those with a strong Green strategy,” Dickerson concluded.