An industry-led forum has been created to help UK businesses reduce the environmental impact of their technology infrastructures.

The IT industry is responsible for creating two per cent of the world’s carbon emissions, putting it on a par with the aviation sector, according to figures from analyst Gartner (Computing, 3 May).

The Green Technology Initiative is intended to provide education and inspiration to IT directors looking to improve their green credentials.

Computing launched its Green Computing campaign last year, encouraging businesses to adhere to a seven-point charter (Computing, 24 August) to improve their environmental impact while reducing costs.

The Green Technology Initiative is being jointly funded by vendors Carrenza, Cisco and Global Crossing, utility firm EDF Energy and advertising company Saatchi & Saatchi.

The group wants to recruit members from the IT and energy sectors to establish a knowledge base of green best practice.

Dan Sutherland, acting head of the scheme, says the idea is to bring businesses together that are already working on environmental strategies.

‘More and more stats are coming out saying how big this problem is,’ he said. ‘Not being efficient is commercially, as well as environmentally, suicidal.’

Daniel Johns, head of low carbon business innovation at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, says education is crucial to improving IT’s green credentials.

‘The average UK data centre has the equivalent carbon footprint to Leicester,’ he said. ‘Something has to be done, but just having information is not enough. Firms need timely and tailored advice alongside this.’

Jim Butler, strategy manager at EDF Energy, says the company is already working with its customers to reduce their energy use, and could help other businesses do the same.

‘Installing meters to monitor consumption is the first advice we offer anyone,’ he said. ‘We want to bring our skills in helping people track their energy use to a wider audience.’

The Green Technology Initiative will also highlight existing technology that helps to reduce power but is not being used to its full potential. It wants work being conducted by vendors to reduce power in data centres, to be applied to office environments.

It will also raise awareness of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (Weee) Directive, which became law at the beginning of the year, requiring businesses to have hardware recycling protocols in place by July.

‘We need to do more work on this because people are only starting to realise what the implications of this legislation are,’ said Sutherland. ‘We want to encourage people to get the most life they can out of their equipment.’

Sutherland says companies that want to become members will be strictly vetted to make sure they are not trying to falsely gain green credentials.

Green IT advice

... in 30 seconds

z The Carbon Trust is a government-sponsored programme that offers advice to all businesses on how to reduce their carbon footprints, providing case studies and industry expertise.

z Environwise is another government programme that offers UK firms free, independent and confidential advice and support on practical ways to increase profits and minimise waste.

z Both Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth publish information about the greenest hardware vendors, and provide up-to-date news on legislation that affects business and the environment, including the Weee Directive and the Reduction of Hazardous Substances Act.

z The UN has a Step initiative to tackle global e-waste, providing advice on recycling for firms and examining it on a wider scale.

z Read Computing’s best practice Green Computing Charter at:

www.computing.co.uk/

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