Acting for a greater good

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.

a acting finance for good greater