2Sustain

The IT industry is performing very poorly with regard to sustainability, according to the latest analysis by oekom Research AG, one of the world’s leading rating agencies in the field of sustainable investment.

Despite relatively good grades by leaders like Ricoh (B+), Intel (B+) and Motorola Mobility (B), the average score for all companies analyzed was a dismal D+.

Why? To satisfy the constant demand for ever cheaper electronic consumer goods, the entire IT industry has engaged in a large-scale outsourcing process behind the scenes –and the fierce competition and price pressures are taking their toll. Now, many IT suppliers in China, South-East Asia and Mexico subject their workers to abysmal conditions, such as: (more…)

According to a survey released last week by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), cloud computing can both save American businesses billions of dollars in energy costs by 2020 and help their information technology (IT) operations run more efficiently.

The study, Cloud Computing–The IT Solution for the 21st Century, polled 11 global firms that have used cloud computing services for at least the past two years. This new research, conducted by Verdantix and sponsored by AT&T, includes analyses that demonstrate how business can use cloud solutions to decrease carbon emissions while simultaneously improving the bottom line.

For example, the data shows that: (more…)

New survey results from CompTIA indicate that businesses today are hungry for eco-friendly technology solutions, and that most firms now make hiring decisions based on IT providers’ green credentials.

More specifically, CompTIA’s Second Annual Green IT Insights and Opportunities study, which was based on an online survey of 650 IT and business executives involved in green initiatives or strategies in the US, UK and Germany, showed that: (more…)

Tyco Electronics Ltd. (TE) has released its first corporate responsibility report and launched the Tyco Electronics Responsibility Advantage (TERA) program, which the company bills as a commitment to its employees, customers, shareholders and communities.

Over the past few years, the electronics industry has been in the spotlight for manufacturing processes that endanger workers in the supply chain and poison the environment. Companies like Tyco are beginning to realize that by choosing to ignore these issues they are putting their operations –and their reputations –at significant risk.

“Tyco Electronics Responsibility Advantage is a key tool in our company’s strategy to deliver superior earnings to our shareholders, to be a premier partner for our customers and to attract and retain highly engaged employees,” explains Tom Lynch, CEO of TE.

Here are two highlights from the report that underscore TE’s environmental stewardship: (more…)

Businesses turn to the cloud for a variety of reasons. For some, the decision is financial. For others, it’s a matter of capacity, agility or simple practicality.

Now, a new study has revealed two more benefits of cloud computing: It’s more energy efficient and can significantly reduce your environmental impact.

The ground-breaking  study, commissioned by Microsoft Corp. and conducted by Accenture and WSP Environment & Energy, assessed the carbon footprint of server, networking and storage infrastructure for three different deployment sizes (100, 1,000 and 10,000 users) of Microsoft’s popular business applications Exchange, Sharepoint and CRM Dynamics. The results show that:

• When small organizations (100 users) move to the cloud, the net energy and carbon savings can amount to more than 90 percent on a per user basis!

• For large corporations, the savings are typically 30 percent or more in energy consumption and carbon emissions. For instance, in a case study with a large consumer-goods company, the team calculated that 32 percent of emissions would be avoided by moving 50,000 e-mail users in North America and Europe to Microsoft’s cloud.

According to the report, the lower energy use and carbon emissions enabled by the cloud stem from a number of key factors, including: (more…)