FSN: Green Computing- Why does it matter?

Green Computing- Why does it matter?

17th July 2006
With global businesses largely being driven by financial results and the need to satisfy the demands of shareholders, going ‘green' can often be way down on the list of priorities for IT and financial directors. However, with research having shown that if the top 200 companies in the UK adopt greener, energy saving IT systems, they could save at least £305,000 per annum in electricity costs for desktops alone, there is clearly some incentive, if not entirely environmental, for businesses to do this.

Mark Dye, FSN Contributing Editor

So, to counter a certain amount of apathy within the financial sector and coax companies into going green, the EU introduced two key pieces of green legislation; the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive and the Restriction on the use of Hazardous Substances (RoHS), meaning businesses have to adopt more environmentally friendly manufacturing processes or face penalties.

If that wasn't enough, a recent Guardian/ICM poll found that over half of those surveyed said they had boycotted a company because its products were damaging to the environment, while more than 63% of us said we would be willing to pay a green tax on goods and services that are found to harm the environment.

Indeed, the rise of the ‘green collar' environmentally friendly worker is well documented, with research from Fujitsu Siemens Computers' suggesting that 68% of those surveyed already recycle paper at work, while nearly two-thirds admitted to shutting down PCs overnight in a conscious effort to save on the £123.2m this costs UK industry each year.

There is a human cost too. Dr Richard Mattison, head of strategy planning at Trucost, says that some 300,000 premature deaths a year may be attributed to environmental emissions. And as Dave Scott, head of UK marketing operations, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, points out, “The Government often debates ways it which it can promote more environmentally friendly practices but appears to offer little incentives to companies that implement green computing policies.”

Scott believes that charities lead the way when it comes to adopting green computing although he expects more sectors to follow suit as businesses become more aware of the significant benefits offered by this technology.

For its part, Fujitsu has pioneered the manufacture of environmentally friendly IT products for some time now and was among the first to introduce the green PC. Today, its Esprimo range claims to reduce energy consumption by more than 23% while the new Amilo V2030 notebook represents the first RoHS compliant laptop in the market.

Mattison believes the difficulty in moving forward and making real progress with all this comes in trying to find a system which businesses are happy with. Estimates suggest that it will cost more than £500m in the UK alone this year for businesses falling in line with the WEEE directive, so there is some disquiet.

Clive Longbottom, service director for business process analysis at Quocirca, shares this view, lamenting the Government's ‘stick-based' approach. “Now, let's say that government made it cheaper for companies who could demonstrate 80% of all lighting was from low-energy systems, that 50% of their heating was from solar energy, that 10% of electricity was generated by the company itself via wind energy and that 90% of PCs went into sleep mode after 15 minutes of non-use,” he says. “Imagine if they could get a 1% corporation tax reduction and imagine how we would see the corporate world change then?”

“The key will be appropriate pricing,” adds Mattison. Interest free loans from the likes of The Carbon Trust to replace equipment and a proposed 50p tax per kilo on ‘black bag' waste should help. Mattison reasons that regulating future costs of environmental damage now can only be a good thing for all concerned. “It's more about explaining in greater effort to these people,” he says. “I think economic instruments are probably the better way to go.”

Mike Davis, senior research analyst at the Butler Group, also believes the Government could do more and points to Catalist [link: http://online.ogcbuyingsolutions.gov.uk ] as just one example where it might be easier. Those looking at purchasing equipment for Government contracts do so here and Davis says that a link between going green and list qualification might see a swifter industry response. “A lot of manufacturers would move very quickly if the Government pushed them on this,” he says.

Of course, there is much we can all do to make a start here that requires little additional help. According to Davis , this means thinking about things like switching off at the mains which can often be difficult for a country known as ‘Standby Britain'. This means monitors too – screensavers may look pretty, but don't help the cause.

“Server rooms and the like need to be on 24/7 but other bits off kit can be switched off,” he adds. “Estimates suggest that if most houses in the UK turned of all the kit they have on standby, then it would save between 5-10% on their electricity bills per year. Think about that for your business.”

That said, there is an evolving future marketplace which is definitely interested in electronic equipment which is eco and environmentally friendly and all concur that educating the market is key. “I think it's just a case of thinking through carefully how to market this to businesses,” says Mattison. “Companies tend to be pretty cautious about capital investments on goods where technology has yet to be proven.”

As Scott puts it: “ Legislation on the adoption of environmentally friendly technology is increasing all the time, with the WEEE and RoHS initiatives being two examples of this. However, the Government, the technology manufacturers and the users are all going to have to share an equal responsibility in ensuring that this technology is adopted.”

“Carrots rather than sticks,” says Davis .

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