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ICT InpuT CrITICal In
drIve for greener
eConomy
The ICT industry has poor green credentials. But, argues Colin Process improvements, such as the greater re-use of information and
Smith, chief executive of software company BIW Technologies, better knowledge management - for example, the wider and more
this position can be reversed if companies take a more integrated sophisticated use of extranets, intranets and wiki technologies - can
and thoughtful approach to their ICT provision. reduce environmental impacts. Even bigger savings can come from
designing buildings for sustainability; technologies such as building
A
s companies from every sector of the economy look for ways information modelling (BIM) can improve how projects are designed
to lessen their carbon footprint they often neglect one major with full recognition of their carbon footprint before, during and after
part of their business operations that has the potential to construction. Also, rationalising and centralising some ICT hardware and
significantly minimise their impact on the environment: information software, by using a SaaS approach, can dramatically reduce in-house
and communications technology (ICT). By using their existing ICT ICT hosting and infrastructure costs.
infrastructure more intelligently, adopting new applications and
embracing innovations such as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), an Not paperless, but less paper
increasingly popular software delivery model, where customers do
not pay for the software but rather for using it over the internet, More efficient process management and greater re-use of information can
companies can make a significant contribution to a much-needed have one much-needed benefit: it can reduce paper consumption, storage
greening of the UK economy. and transportation. The supposedly paperless office of the 21st Century
has never really arrived and paper is a clear environmental enemy.
Historically, ICT has poor green credentials. Production of ICT hardware
places high demands on energy and natural resources (a UN study For example, adoption in the building and construction sector, collaboration
found that manufacturing a PC consumes 10 times the machine’s weight technologies, such as sophisticated extranets, has reduced the amount
in fossil fuels and chemicals). Operation of ICT hardware consumes high of paper produced and disseminated within project teams. Electronic
levels of energy – at remote data-centres, in-house data centres, in publication and dissemination does not eliminate paper altogether; some
offices and at home. Indeed, this year represents a watershed as, for items will still be printed out – but around 60 per cent will not. So far as
the first time, the cost of the energy required to power ICT equipment will the BIW user community alone in this sector is concerned, this equates
surpass the cost of the computer kit itself. to a paper saving of around 16 million drawings and 9 million other
documents – equivalent to a pile of paper 4.3km high, weighing 1700
In the UK there are approximately 10 million work PCs currently in active tonnes. Rain forests around the world are probably sighing with relief.
service. Research conducted by the National Energy Foundation estimates
that of these, around 1.7 million are routinely left running when not in use. Reduced production of paper-based documents can also lead to
For the UK business community, this equates to around 1.5 billion kilowatt reductions in the requirement for hardware, consumables, personnel
of electricity wasted every year, carrying a price tag of £115 million. and other associated overheads:
Much hardware and software is over-specified and under-utilised, with • Fewer plotters, printers, photocopiers, scanners, faxes, etc
manufacturers often encouraging premature obsolescence. Disposal of • Lower overheads - being less heavily-used they break-down less
ICT hardware can be highly polluting (UK companies dispose of around frequently
1.5 million PCs, equal to 125,000 tonnes of ICT equipment, in landfill • Reduced energy consumption
sites every year). • Reduced consumption of consumables, ie: ink, toner, fewer filing
cabinets, suspending files, archive boxes, etc
ICT can also create ‘information overload’, reducing individual • Lower ‘warehousing’ requirements - for example, on one traditionally-
productivity and efficiency. Poor software interoperability inhibits re-use managed project, an airport operator collated enough paper to fill an
of data, generating considerable re-keying and re-checking of duplicate entire Portakabin full of filing cabinets
information, duplication of software, expense of data translators, etc. • Reduced personnel – producing less paper can help lower manpower
However, despite these negatives, ICT also offers companies great requirements, with a corresponding environmental benefit in terms of
opportunities to green their operations. building-related costs
59 | ecoexecutive
SAAS.indd 59 18/4/08 16:26:28
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