Is 'Green' Really the New 'Black'?
19 August 2008
A leading IT and telecommunications consultancy, Axamba, reports that over 80% of its clients are now starting to make the move towards greener IT alternatives.
But what about the 20% of companies who aren't jumping on this eco-friendly bandwagon and striving for greener alternatives?
Axamba's Managing Director Ian Harris gives some insight as to why this may be the case and, despite the concerns of the minority, maintains that companies must adopt a more proactive stance when considering the concept of Green IT in business. Whether motivated by doing what is right or polishing their public image and fending off government regulation, companies can significantly profit from strategies that embrace environmental goals, according to Harris.
The principal reason companies are not initiating green policies is probably because they don't think they will be of any real benefit to their businesses and put the concept of 'going green' down as marketing hype.
Many businesses feel it would prove too expensive to implement more energy conscious IT strategies. Ian comments: ''Sometimes businesses set the bar so high and see too many hurdles that they never get started. But it's better to take those small steps that will help with moving towards a more sustainable future.''
Other companies dismiss the idea of implementing green initiatives as being too costly. Their mindset being that it won't give them sufficient cost benefits in the future and they would therefore struggle to demonstrate increased or significant savings as a result.
Many companies are under the impression that being 'green' is just about recycling and simply aren't aware of the additional measures they can undertake from a technology point of view.
Ian Harris highlights that targeting green initiatives is not just aimed at introducing eco friendly technology into business but also about changing processes, attitudes and behaviour.
"I would draw the analogy with Health & Safety. In industry the companies with the best Health & Safety records are those that live and breathe it from a behavioural point of view, and don't just see it as being a box ticking / form filling exercise." Adds Harris. "Similarly in terms of "going green", companies need to adopt it almost as a way of life, so that it becomes habitual."
The average person might believe that the worldwide push to "go green" is coming solely from the government and a handful of concerned individuals, but, according to Harris, many of his clients have realized that the way forward is towards more sustainable and eco-friendly business practices and the results look promising. 'Green marketing is a way to differentiate a company from its competitors' and when you market yourself as environmentally friendly, it also suggests that your competitors are not'.
Harris concludes ''Increasing awareness amongst IT professionals and educating them on the cumulative benefits are paramount if we are to see change for the better''.