IT industry experiencing a Green change

“Some vendors are trying to use Green as an angle to sell their product, however customers need to examine these claims carefully to separate hype from fact. Vendors need to ensure that Green is just “another” benefit not “the” benefit and recognise that most organisations will only take the Green initiative if all the other boxes are ticked too, such as cost, risk and functionality,” said Dr. McIsaac.

Major Green directions for vendors include LCDs for the desktop which allow a large reduction in heat and power, although many organisations did this a few years ago when prices of LCDs became competitive. According to Dr. McIsaac, reducing heat and power consumption in the data centre is starting to get traction, partially because the data centre is the single largest IT resource and is directly under IT’s control, with server virtualisation proving to be one direction that pays great Green and financial dividends, “Some organisations are trying to reduce the impact of printing, i.e. reduce the amount that is printed and replacing the old printer fleet. Desktops are also getting some interest with new 80 percent-plus power supplies, lower power units and turning off or ‘sleeping” systems overnight.”

Reaching the consumer

Looking at the social responsibility angle of Green IT, it is good to see that some vendors are working with programs such as Mobile Muster to encourage the recycling of mobile phones and other products. Companies such as Planet Ark have created programs in conjunction with vendors and work with them to promote the need for recycling.

Channel organisations have started adopting the trend of appointing environmental managers. They have an interesting job of ensuring the companies they work for are socially aware and conscious of the impact their products may have on the environment.

Annukka Dickens, environmental manager, Hewlett-Packard South Pacific, explained that the vendor has been involved with Cartridges 4 Planet Ark (C4PA) from the very beginning. As an OEM partner to the program, HP takes responsibility for the collection and recycling of products as well as taking on the aspect of communication and education. The vendor is also involved in recruiting collection partners and promoting the initiative to customers.

“Our involvement means that we can provide customers in consumer and commercial segments with the means to return printing supplies for environmentally sound recycling,” said Dickens. “The partnership provides HP with a strong focal point for environmental programs in Australia. C4PA sets a benchmark for the responsible management of end-of-life hardware and we’d like to see every industry member step up to the plate
and take responsibility for the products they manufacture.”

Janet Leslie, quality, safety and environment manager at Canon said Canon has been involved with the Planet Ark program since its inception in 1984. The printing vendor said it joined the program as it allowed them to provide a service that was not already offered. According to Leslie it was a convenient method for consumers of ink jet cartridges to dispose of their cartridges responsibly and business customers could have boxes throughout their offices to place toner and ink cartridges in as well as drums.

“It’s also cheaper and more efficient for us to join together with other OEMs in this way. Finally the customer gets a certificate saying exactly how much waste they have diverted from landfill every month. They can use this in calculating their own environmental footprint as the program has a zero waste to landfill guarantee,” explained Leslie. “The program has just hit six million cartridges collated since its inception 2003 and the program is growing every year.”

Adding another string to its bow, Canon has just introduced its first locally produced sustainability report for the Oceania region. The report identifies economic, environmental and social sustainability challenges and opportunities that face the company.

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