Plenty of potential for ICT to gain green credentials

Even though the ICT sector currently has poor ‘green’ credentials, it the potential to reduce environmental impact through best practice says a new report from Socitm Insight. SOCITM

According to the new report, ‘Green ICT: current research into the environmental impact of ICT’, ICT currently accounts for 2% of global CO2 emissions; as much as the airline industry.

Yet Socitm suggests that the ICT industry can make effective practical changes to reduce its own environmental impact from improved equipment life-cycle management; reduction of waste from desktops and datacentres; better use of electricity. In addition it advises organisations can become greener though adoption of practices such as flexible working and increased efficiencies in business processes.

The report is intended to act as a practical guide for IT managers who want to move towards greener practices within their own department as well as using ICT to reduce the organisation’s overall environmental impact.  IT includes information on how ICT impacts upon the environment, information about how to measure environmental impact, and ideas for its mitigation. There are also case studies of  firms that have used ICT to reduce the environmental impact of the organisation.