A move away from products to services in information and
communication technology (ICT) can have a positive effect on
sustainable development according to a new survey by the
Forum for the
Future.
The sustainable development charity that works in partnership
with leading organisations in business and the public sector says
that ICT can help to reduce the environmental footprint of what
firms do.
It says that the
ICT industry, and by extension users, are at a crossroads:
developing and applying ICT badly could add to the world’s problems
by devouring energy and accelerating climate change, worsen and
increasing pollution and resource use by encouraging ever more
frenetic consumerism.
In contrast, by the correct application of ICT well, the rewards
could be enormous. These are identified as helping to enhance
creativity and innovation to solve problems, build communities,
give more people access to goods and services and use precious
resources much more efficiently.
Even though the Forum for the Future accepts that the
sustainability challenges facing ICT businesses are complex, the
complexity should not prevent the ICT industry from dealing with
the issues and so reaping maximum benefit. It adds that
sustainability leadership is necessary if the benefits are to
extend right across the whole ICT industry.
Above all, Forum for the Future sees the application of new
technologies as an opportunity to address sustainability challenges
creatively and advocates’ that making ICT more efficient will
enable people to do more with less.
Further more it advises firms to rent the use of PCs rather than
buy one and if bought, replacing the PCs after four years instead
of two, thus reducing the environmental impact of making products.
In addition it says if PCs are then subsequently shred, the impact
will be halved again, effectively reducing the impact from making
one PC by 75%.
In essence, it says that firms need to move away from a business
model that is based on products and things and towards business
models based on services.