Technology is the ideal place for businesses to start tackling green issues because of the speed of progress and adaptation.

Two areas are open to improvements: boosting energy efficiency, and the responsible disposal of obsolete hardware.

The environmental impact is well-established. Analyst Gartner estimates that IT accounts for two per cent of global carbon emissions, on a par with the airline industry.

And according to the European Environmental Agency, electronic rubbish is growing three times faster than other waste and will reach an annual global volume of 40 million tonnes by the end of 2008.

Many firms incorporate green strategies into corporate social responsibility schemes.
But there is also a tangible business case.

Virtualisation software ­ which enables multiple operating environments to run on one PC ­ is a major growth area (see case study, below).

And the introduction of the WEEE directive is forcing businesses to consider the afterlife of their IT (see case study, right).

Firms unite on green agenda
www.computing.co.uk/2189542