Devoteam Green IT Survey

Devoteam Green IT Survey

Which technologies for sustainable development?

2012 Edition

C o n n e C t i n g B u s i n e s s & t e C h n o l o g y

DEVOTEAM GROUP

Consulting

Consultancy on complex IT problems

Centred on innovation and the transformation of the information system

expertise

Recognised as a specialist in many areas, reliable and competent

Working with delegated resources within client teams

solutions

Development and integration of wide-reaching and complex IT projects The ability to deliver –

tested methodologies and a wealth of experience

We help our clients improve their performance in connecting Business and Technology

Established in 1995 5,000 employees

23 countries in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa

The whole world is immersed in the digital era. Every day, our cities, companies and homes become a little more computerised and connected. In the historical scheme of things, we are only at the beginning of this revolution;

however the environmental burden is already making itself felt: exhaustion of natural resources, energy consumption,

toxic waste… The stakes are extremely high and every year the impact is greater. Is this technological progress synonymous with ecological regression? Not necessarily. From smart grids to remote-working tools, the applications are infinite and include numerous opportunities for working for a more sustainable world. Information technologies do not intrinsically represent ecological progress or regression; their importance resides in the use that is made of them.

Today, faced with these obstacles and in spite of the extreme rapidity of technological development, we need to think about and control this progress, in order to avoid its traps. Although just a small part of a bigger picture, this is our third survey presenting the place of Green IT within organisations. Its widening scope, with more than 250 organisations represented, allows us to provide you with a fascinating barometer of awareness and some of the extremely practical actions associated with it.

In the following pages, you will find detailed results, illustrated with our comments and those of our partners. I take this opportunity to welcome them to this adventure and to sincerely thank everyone who worked to produce this report.

I hope you find it useful!

Thomas de Lacharrière, Associate Partner, Devoteam Consulting

EDiTO

METHOD & PANEL

Methodology note

> Study carried out by Devoteam for the third consecutive year.

> Data gathered via a web platform over a two-month period.

> Questionnaire available in seven languages for the first time:

German, Dutch, Arabic, Swedish and Danish versions have been added to the French and English versions of previous years.

> 356 respondents from 22 countries, including 11 European countries.

> The 6 main countries represented:

France, Belgium, united Kingdom, Morocco, Austria, germany.

> 270 organisations represented, covering all sizes and all business sectors.

80% of the results.

Nature of the panel questioned

Size of the organisation Business sectors Profile of persons questioned

28% 22%

10%

11%

29%

24% 19% 24%

33%

61%

39%

Telecoms / IT

More than 10,000 employees IT departments

Green IT: a subject taken more and more seriously

78%

An important issue for sustainable development Energy savings A better image with our customers Only concerns manufacturers of IT equipment A fashionable pretext for cost reduction Never heard of it

71%

35%

12%

9%

7%

Green IT, as perceived by the respondents

The great majority of respondents consider Green IT as an important issue for sustainable development.

The message is more optimistic than a year ago, since only 9% of respondents see it as a fashion effect, compared with 15% in 2011.

Overall, Green IT is increasingly widely known and recognised within companies. Worthy of note is the marked increase (20%) in the level of energy-saving objectives.

By way of illustration, you will find below the main reasons why organisations start Green IT programmes.

Green IT, what return on investment?

“Companies and employees are increasingly aware of the importance of being Green, whether for the purpose of reducing expenditure or for improving their image. Eco-behaviour, virtualisation and distance working are no longer only fashionable phrases, but more and more, are becoming a standard for a way of working and behaving. However, there is still a lot of progress to be made in this area.”

Dirk Pauwels – Senior Consultant, Devoteam Belgique [email protected] Financial

Innovation

Performance Environment

Symbolic Conformity

• Energy

• Transport

• Purchasing

• New service offers

• Tools for product innovation

• Optimised processes

• Exchanges made easier

• CO₂

• Waste

• Resource management

• Attractive image

• Internal and external communication

• Staff motivation

• Electronic waste

• Carbon taxes

• Increased regulation

GREEN iT TODAY

Green for IT 

Or: how to reduce the impact of IT on the environment

IT for Green

Or: how IT can contribute to sustainable development

Reducing the impact of technology on the environment

- Optimisation of IS architecture - Energy performance - Responsible purchasing - Management of electronic waste

Committing the organisation to a sustainable

development approach

- Carbon Strategy - Green IT strategy

- Organisation of the sustainable development centre - Environmental reporting

Creating new

economic and ecological opportunities

- Eco-innovation - Eco-design

- Optimisation of the logistics chain - Intelligent buildings

Changing our way of working and be a responsible business

- Distance working - Dematerialisation - Tele-working

Green Business

Technologies

RSE* Practices

*Corporate Social Responsibility

OUR ViSiON

80% of major groups have initiated a Green IT programme

But SMEs seem to be less aware of the subject.

The proportion of respondents aware of the existence of a Green IT programme in their organisation increases with the size of the company.

Green IT appears to be much less of a consideration in SMEs. Actually, 77% of people working in SMEs claimed not to know about Green IT, compared to only 4% of those working in a large company. In fact, SMEs, due to their size and their very nature, have less potential for a return on investment in this area.

It should be noted that companies in the IT sector have a greater awareness with better results than other sectors.

74% 82%

44% 52%

Average: 63%

Fewer than 100 employees

100 to 1,000 employees

1,000 to 10,000 employees

More than 10,000 employees Organisations initiating a Green IT programme

It is mainly IS directors who have responsibility for Green IT programmes

Entities responsible for the programme

12%

30%

58%

Other Sustainable

Development Department IT department

“Green IT is becoming a part of large organisations;

the challenge is to give it scope and ambition and integrate it into projects and employees’ objectives.

For this, we observe the importance of strong sponsorship for the approach by management, and its integration into a sustainable development approach on a company-wide scale.”

Claire Allain – Consultant, Devoteam France

[email protected] In more than 60% of cases, company IT departments are in charge of setting up and monitoring Green IT programmes. This is explained by the fact that it is they who possess the technical expertise and are best able to reduce the environmental impact of their activity (Green for IT). Nonetheless, it is important to have effective synergy between this department and the Sustainable Development Department, in order to integrate Green IT into the company’s CSR strategy. This enables the development of an IT system in the service of Sustainable Development (IT for Green), a subject often forgotten in Green IT policies.

ENERGY

Energy, the lifeblood of data centres

Lack of electricity acts as a brake on the development of data centres. Prior to set-up, data centre operators reserve a quantity of energy from their electricity supplier well in excess of their actual requirements. Their aim is to anticipate any increases in demand, providing power to the installation, with redundancy of supply for IT equipment. This reserved quantity of energy is ring-fenced and may not be used by other individuals or businesses. So, we have reached a situation today where there is a virtual shortage of electricity, which sometimes even delays the installation of new data centres. In fact, energy becomes the key to a data-centre market growing by 25% a year.

Organisations that know how much the electricity for their data centres costs 75% 78% 83%

39%

65%

37%

Average: 63%

Belgium Morocco France Austria United

Kingdom Germany

Results this year in France do not show any significant improvement over last year. This is explained by an energy price that remains one of the lowest in Europe and the possibilities for reserving power capacity cheaply. In such a situation, companies are not encouraged to invest in solutions to monitor and optimise the consumption of their buildings and equipment.

On the other hand, Germany has a very high kWh price and we notice that it is top of the list for companies aware of their energy bills. The United Kingdom is in second position. With ambitious objectives for reducing carbon emissions by 80% between now and 2050, and faced with a high dependency on energy supplies from other countries, the British are particularly informed on the subject of energy consumption.

“The price of electricity has greatly increased in Germany in recent years and is now considerably higher than the European average. This is due to increased public charges, due to legislation on Renewable Energies (Erneuerbaren Energien Gesetz). These high prices encourage data centre operators to be in control of their electricity bill.”

Günther Pfleger – Head of BU Region South, Devoteam Consulting Germany [email protected]

In most cases, the electricity bill remains the responsibility of the general services department

However, it is of prime importance to include the cost of energy in the price for IT services, in order to make reducing them a shared objective within the company.

Once again this year, we notice a uniform trend for the electricity bill for the data centre to be the responsibility of general services. However, we notice that when it is the IT department that pays the bill, it is more closely monitored (+30 points). This is an argument for a more systematic allocation of the bill to the IT department budget.

More generally, the larger groups are faced with the problem of optimising their electricity consumption.

So, the first difficulty comes from the fact that it is not the department that pays the bill that is at the forefront of projects to reduce it. It is therefore necessary to finds ways of passing on energy costs in the price for IT services.

Entities paying the data centre’s electricity bill

16%

9%

22% 53%

Other General services IT department Business department

“In Morocco, we notice that the management of hosting expenses is often entrusted to entities in charge of general services. The expenditure therefore falls off the IS department’s radar. Also, the cost of the hosting service is not always realised; nor is the cost of energy highlighted or the need to optimise that cost. Or the estimated cost of hosting may be too approximate and therefore difficult to compare with offers made by specialists in the market.”

Lina Berrada – Senior Consultant, Devoteam Maroc

[email protected]

Point of reference

• 510 000 data centres around the world 26 million m2 more than 3,300 football stadia

• Approximately 275 billion kWh per year in 2010 between 1.1 and 1.5 % of global electricity consumption

• Increase in electricity consumption by data centres:

- Between 2000 and 2005: +100%

- Between 2005 and 2010: +56 %

Source: Jonathan G. Koomey, Stanford University Emerson Network Power

A step forward towards better energy management

12%

9%

55%

48%

46%

42%

33%

34%

28%

19%

7%

6%

Good practices put in place for data centres

Optimised cooling and electrical distribution Virtualisation of servers

Rationalisation and consolidation of equipment

Monitoring of electrical consumption

Re-invoicing of electrical consumption

None 2012

2011

The virtualisation market continues to develop, supported by rationalisation and consolidation projects. The current economic situation makes it a priority for companies to engage in projects with a strong financial return on investment.

This year is marked by significant growth in the monitoring of electrical consumption by data centres, mainly where it is the IT Department that pays the invoice. A sound application of the adage “you can’t manage what you don’t measure” should allow the emergence of new projects and improved energy control in data centres.

The re-invoicing of energy costs remains uncommon; it should be made easier by energy monitoring. Just as more and more IT departments re-invoice printing services according to the paper consumed, hosting services could be invoiced pro rata to energy consumption.

Point of reference

The European code of conduct for data centres

This is a voluntary commitment by companies to reduce the energy consumption of their data centres through the setting of targets. These targets and their associated action plan relate to the following aspects:

• Governance, planning, operations

• IT equipment and services

• Cooling

• Electrical supply

• Lighting

• Buildings

• Monitoring

We can identify two types of company adopting the code of conduct:

• Participants: all data centre owner/operators

• Associated businesses: sellers, consultants, operators, public bodies, etc.

This label allows any company to prove that it applies a Green IT approach in its data centres, both internally and in respect of its customers. In addition, it may be used to compare suppliers of hosting services.

oint of r ref eference od

od de e of of con nd duct t f fo

Optimised data centres, pooled in the cloud, but which must face up to an explosion of demand

There were many respondents who mentioned cloud-computing initiatives. This is part of a sharing approach which, thanks to virtualisation, for example, allows a reduction in the resources necessary for the supply of a storage or calculation unit. That said, the cloud will only be green if it is designed and managed in an eco-responsible way and achieves the benefits of maximum shared use. Outsourcing in an under- used cloud, or one supplied by carbon-intensive electricity, will not have a positive environmental impact.

Improvement in the efficiency of data centres will not reduce their overall environmental impact, if demand continues to grow at this pace. Thus, initiatives such as cloud computing improve performance but are accompanied by a bounce effect, a growth in demand, linked to ease of implementation and cost reduction. It would therefore appear to be important to control the demand for calculation and storage capacity. Several ways exist, such as optimising software source code or aligning availability and redundancy criteria with actual user needs.

“In office-based businesses, the energy efficiency of the information system makes a significant contribution towards reducing the company’s operating costs and emissions of greenhouse gases. With increasing regulatory pressure (article 75 of Grenelle II) and an increase of more than 30% in the kWh price of electricity over the next four years, the energy efficiency of the information system assumes priority as a Green IT project.”

Frédéric Bordage – founder of GreenIT.fr [email protected]

Clear emergence of the energy monitoring of work stations

Organisations that have put in place workstation energy management software 43%

21%

41%

18% 19%

12%

Austria Morocco France Belgium United Kingdom

Germany Average: 23%

Workstation energy management solutions are showing nett growth, having risen from 12% to 24%

since last year. This is still limited but should continue to grow, due to the increasingly frequent integration of energy management modules in asset management tools. This trend is evidenced by the many partnerships seen recently in this market.

As to knowledge of the electrical consumption of data centres, we find Germany and the United Kingdom in the lead in workstation energy management. Once again, the cost of energy and the restrictive UK laws on CO₂ emissions are strong accelerators towards action to promote Green IT.

“The municipality of Fredericia in Denmark worked with CA Technologies and Devoteam Denmark to implement our energy management solution,

“ecoDesktop”. Controlling the supply parameters to its 1,600 computers allowed the municipality to reduce its energy consumption by 700 kWh, i.e. a saving of almost €70,000 per year.”

Sonny Masero – Vice President, EMEA Business Unit Strategy, CA Technologies [email protected]

“ With the increase in energy costs in the United Kingdom during a period of austerity, organisations are fully aware of the necessity to save energy and reduce carbon emissions. Our unique

“ecoDesktop” energy management solution has shown itself to be an efficient tool for convincing organisations to change with remarkable results, where energy savings are concerned.”

Roddy MacLennan –

Sales and Marketing Director, Devoteam UK

[email protected]

Printing, as an issue, has largely been dealt with by companies

High level of awareness by users in organisations

With an average of 31 pages printed per employee per day in Europe, printing has a serious impact on the environment.

63%

User awareness Consolidation and widespread use of MFPs*

Default economy settings Sorting of paper and consumables Use of recycled paper Monitoring and reporting Establishment of quotas per user

No initiative *MFP = Multi-function printer

62%

56%

42%

37%

26%

6%

6%

Good practice adopted for printing

Making users aware of the impacts and good practices is at the top of the list of actions initiated by organisations to reduce the environmental footprint of their printing. This awareness is accompanied by the development of sorting (42% in 2012 compared with 33% in 2011) and also the use of recycled paper (36% in 2012 compared with 27% in 2011).

94%

Germany United Kingdom France Belgium Austria Morocco

68%

65%

56%

55%

33%

Making users aware of the effect of good printing practices

Point of reference

*Depending on paper quality

1 tree 5 litres of oil

200 litres of water

8000 A4 sheets*

o

oin in nt t t of of r r r r r r ef efe ef ef ef e e e ef f f f er eren nce

ELECTRONiC WASTE

The management of WEEE*, a subject that still concerns few organisations

Share of organisations aware of their volume of electronic waste

31%

69%

No Yes

69%

they generate.

A figure that shows no change over last year.

The majority of organisations ignore the waste that they generate, a rate comparable to that in 2011. Only Germany seems to stand out: one in every two organisations claims to have control over its electronic waste and one in three has also indicated that it monitors its end of life (notion of traceability). On the other hand, Moroccan companies seem to be a long way from adopting these concerns (19%). 

Every year, more and more equipment is put on the market, resulting in an increase in associated WEEE.

The volume is growing particularly quickly, at around 2 to 3% per year (source: ADEME). Apart from the management of waste, therefore, it is of prime importance to work upstream in reducing the volumes of equipment purchased.

Point of reference

In France in 2010

• Volume of new electronic equipment: 24 kg per inhabitant per year

• Volume collected: 6.5 kg per inhabitant per year

A proportion of the remaining waste goes to dumps, is cannibalised (dismantled to recover parts) or is exported outside the EU.

Average duration of use of equipment according to respondents

Computer Mobile phone

3.5 years 2.5 years

With a relatively low average life span, it is the production phase which has the greatest impact on the life cycle of electronic equipment. For mobile phones, used for 2.5 years, their manufacture represents up to 80% of their ecological footprint. Thus, to reduce a product’s overall impact, it is necessary to depreciate the environmental cost of production and extend the period of use.

Almost 40% of organisations questioned had no policy for the management of WEEE

This figure is identical to last year and shows little progress in this area. However, the mechanisms exist, whether via the producer, whose extended liability requires it to be responsible for the collection and treatment of waste, or via approved associations or bodies.

Towards new European regulations

Since 2012, the review of the WEEE directive envisages, among other things, imposing on member states the collection of 85% of WEEE between now and 2019, and also measures limiting the export of electronic and electrical waste from the European Union.

In parallel, in some European countries, such as France, the business WEEE system is being structured:

following what has been done for domestic WEEE, eco-organisations approved by the government could participate in the collection and treatment of this waste.

39%

None Collection by a specialist organisation Return to the manufacturer Reconditioning Resale at a reduced price to employees Resale to a broker

27%

22%

13%

12%

9%

Other 6%

Actions taken for managing WEEE

“Following a study conducted in 2011 with more the 400 businesses and local authorities, we noticed the lack of solutions that were really appropriate for companies’ problems. That is to say, a simple, pooled, operational organisation, guaranteeing all quality criteria. Ecologic assists companies from the moment they purchase equipment and offers a unique service for the effective management and removal of WEEE.”

Pénélope Guy – Major Accounts Manager, Ecologic

Point of reference

Eco-organisation: an entity which assumes producers’

financial and organisational liability for the management of products at the end of their lives, such as electrical and electronic equipment, vehicles, paper, light bulbs, etc.

GREEN PURCHASiNG

Organisations are gradually adopting an eco-responsible purchasing policy

The adoption of environmental criteria in the scoring grids used in tender evaluations is becoming widespread.

Almost two thirds of companies use these criteria in their scoring, with Germany at the top of the list, where 80% of respondents have adopted this practice.

By way of illustration, there are three scoring categories used at this time:

- Product: evaluate the environmental impacts of the product or service sold throughout its life cycle (design, production, distribution, use, end of life). Ecolabels are an effective means of evaluating technical criteria.

- Company: assess the company’s overall sustainable development policy (three pillars to be considered:

economic, ecological, social). This assessment must be made from CSR reports or scoring grids published by organisations.

- undertakings: specific undertakings linked to the contract, for example, the length of the guarantee, taking the goods back at their end of life.

High (above 20%)

Medium (between 10 and 20%) Low (below 10%).

Not considered Weight of environmental criteria in scoring commercial proposals

10%

23%

31%

36%

Almost

two thirds

of companies use environmental criteria in their purchasing

policy.

Point of reference

From eco-consumption to eco-design The implementation of a responsible purchasing policy initiates a virtuous circle, in which, year after year, suppliers design more ecologically responsible products and services.

oint of ref eference

o-cconsuumptitiontotoecoco-d

Strong growth in the use of eco-labels

The number of organisations using at least one eco-label is up by more than 20 points over last year.

Nevertheless, there are still 32% of organisations that do not give them any consideration. An effort to make companies aware and provide information is therefore necessary. Energy Star remains in first place and is used in almost 34% of organisations.

Eco-labels are divided into two categories to enlighten IT managers on the environmental impact of the products they buy:

- certifications: products and services are tested beforehand.

- self-declarations : organisations register their products and services themselves.

Self-declarations can be established more easily than certifications but the latter are considered more reliable.

Eco-labels used 32%

68%

None At least one

67%

Energy Star FSC TCO EPEAT PEFC Blue Angel European Ecolabel Other

38%

33%

19%

18%

13%

11%

7%

“TCO Certified is a sustainable certification for computer products. Its criteria cover three main areas:

eco-design from the point of view of the overall life cycle, visual, health and safety quality, and the social responsibility of the supply chain. These criteria are developed in an open approach including buyers, experts and industry researchers. They are tested in cooperation with 13 accredited laboratories, then verified again after being put on the market.”

Stephen Fuller – Business Area Manager for Displays, TCO [email protected]

The most widely used eco-labels

name

Date created

and country

type Criteria scope

1992

USA Self-

declaration Evaluates the most effective models in terms

of energy efficiency. 3,950 brands – 15,550 IT equipment items

2006 Self-

declaration

Assesses the environmental impacts of IT equipment over the whole of its life cycle.

Three types: bronze – silver – gold.

2,910 IT equipment items:

office PCs, screens and portables

1990

Sweden Certification Assesses the environmental impact of IT equipment over the whole of its life cycle.

1,300 IT equipment items, mainly screens

1977

Germany Certification

Assesses the environmental impacts of a varied range of products and services over

the whole of the life cycle.

4,000 products and services.

Wide base of printers and consumables

1992

Europe Certification

Assesses the environmental impacts of a varied range of products and services over

their whole life cycles.

1,140 products and ser- vices in 50 categories, no IT equipment for the

moment

1993 Certification

Ensures that the production of wood or wood- based products has complied with procedures

guaranteeing the sustainable management of forests. Three types according to the

percentage of recycled paper.

More than 127 million hectares of forest in

80 countries

1999 Certification

Guarantees that a wood or wood-based product is made from at least 70% wood from

sustainably managed forests.

234 million hectares in 35 countries

PRACTiCES

Solutions such as remote meetings are used as an alternative to business travel

According to a WWF study, 50% of CO₂ emissions from organisations come from business travel. In an increasingly globalised economy, distance-meeting solutions are essential for limiting journeys and promoting discussion.

64%

Audio-conferencing Video-conferencing Web meeting Tele-presence None

53%

45%

20%

9%

Proportion of companies that have set up distance-meeting solutions

Today, these technologies are extremely widespread with, on average, 90% of companies using at least one solution. Apart from the environmental gains, reducing the number of journeys made by employees improves the organisation’s efficiency by reducing the time lost through travel.

Number of distance-meeting hours per person per week

1.1 3.2

2.5 5.3

3.3 6.9

United

Kingdom Germany Morocco France Belgium Austria Average: 3.6 h

More and more mature and accepted technologies

44%

62%

30%

42%

22%

34%

23%

31%

Impediments to the use of distance-meeting solutions

Poor image and sound quality Loss of conviviality

Lack of equipment

Complex to use 2012

2011

In a year, the situation has changed considerably with a reduction of 15 points in impediments to the use of distance-meeting technology. On the one hand, increasingly efficient and easy-to-use solutions; on the other, their usage today makes them a part of employees’ daily lives.

The main problem that emerges from the survey is the loss of conviviality. Although nothing can take the place of a physical meeting, solutions such as tele-presence provide quality images and sound and the sharing of documents makes the experience more and more realistic. Also, the second problem concerns the lack of equipment. In this regard, the widespread use of webcams, already common in private life, should provide a solution.

“The Belgacom sales community currently uses two tools for weekly and monthly meetings. This allows us to avoid a lot of travel and save time but also to reduce requirements for meeting rooms and avoid parking problems.

Some added advantages are the sharing of files, computers and instant messaging, plus the fact that people can take part from their car or from home.”

Loïc Lauwers – Key Accounts Sales Unit Manager, Belgacom (Belgium) [email protected]

Organisations that change to include working from home

The impetus provided by the new information and communication technologies, access to broadband Internet, the pressure of competition in companies and ecological awareness has resulted in the emergence of a new work way of managing work: tele-working.

There are multiple facets to it: working at home, when travelling or in public areas. By working from home two days a week on average, an employee could reduce their carbon footprint by 10%.

Proportion of persons working regularly from home

10%

54% 51%

82% 72%

82%

Germany United Kingdom

Austria Belgium France Morocco

Average

in 2011

16%

in 2012

58%

Germany and the United Kingdom head the list of countries where the proportion of tele-workers is highest.

France lags behind in this trend compared with its European neighbours. This tardiness may be explained in particular by a lack of confidence in the method but also because of legal obstacles, in particular concerning workplace accidents.

“Tele-centres are shared workplaces, situated strategically close to residential areas or those with a better level of services. Equipped with the latest distance working technology and offering additional services (secretarial, legal, etc.), they provide workers with a comfortable environment, as efficient as a traditional office. These tele-centres help to reduce congestion in urban areas and reduce each individual’s environmental footprint.”

Stéphanie Thirion – Operations Manager Euro Green IT Innovation Center [email protected]

GREEN BUSiNESS

No change in carbon assessments for three years

Organisations that have already conducted a carbon assessment 30%

70%

No Yes

If yes, in what way?

30%

27%

43%

Once

Monitoring, using a carbon management tool Regularly

Yes

This year again, we note that the proportion of organisations carrying out a carbon assessment has not changed. This lack of progress goes hand in hand with regulatory stagnation and an international community struggling to give a second wind to the Kyoto protocol. The Durban conference bringing together 194 countries to discuss climate issues decided to prepare a legally binding agreement to reduce carbon emissions between now and 2015. It will come into effect by 2020 at the latest. While awaiting this new agreement, an extension to the Kyoto protocol was agreed for a second period of five to eight years. However, it already appears weakened by the refusal to continue by Japan, Russia and Canada.

But the responsibility does not fall only on governments. Organisations can also do their bit. With fewer than 10% of respondents using a carbon management tool, a move towards emissions control is not widespread. However, investing today in bringing emissions under control means anticipating and preparing for the environmental and economic issues of tomorrow. Furthermore, the coming into force of Grenelle II at the end of this year means that all French companies with more than 500 employees will be obliged to carry out a carbon assessment.

Point of reference

Two methods for assessing greenhouse gas emissions from company IT activity have just been introduced:

In France: ADEME-CIGREF ICT sector guide:

•

•

•

- Greenhouse gas emissions relative to the use or production of Information or

Communication Technology services;

- The assessment methods for these emissions and also the data necessary for these assessments;

- The actions and practices to be put in place to optimise, even reduce, the CO₂ impact of these activities.

Internationally: details of the GHG protocol as they apply to ICT

The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol has been developed in partnership with companies, NGOs and governments, to create a common accounting and reporting framework, and measurement and action tools for fighting climate change.

This is currently the most widely used method internationally.

In an initiative similar to the one by ADEME and CIGREF, the method and emission factors of the IT activity have been published in 2012 in the form of a supplement to the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol Product Accounting and Reporting standard, applying to the sector.

oint of f r ref eference

r

reeenhnhouusse gasg s eemissio

Environmental reporting and the smart building are the main applications of technology in sustainable development

15%

None Carbon and energy management Intelligent management of buildings Reporting on the use of resources E-commerce and e-catalogue Smart Grid

35%

35%

28%

24%

23%

Smart Logistics 9%

Solutions adopted by companies

The reduction of the impacts of IT on the environment is the most widely adopted approach in Green IT policies. However, a second major area is the contribution of new technologies to the development of a sustainable and responsible activity. The potential saving in tools for professional activities is much greater than the impact of IT itself.

Technologies at the heart of the professionalisation of sustainable development

Carbon-, energy- and resource-management tools are deployed in more than 30% of organisations. This trend confirms the professionalisation of sustainable development with reports ranging from a simple spreadsheet to an industrial evaluation system of products’ environmental footprint. This evaluation is based on a harvesting of traceable and auditable data, based on the financial reporting model.

Apart from monitoring, these are precious aids to decision-making, providing practical information on the environmental impacts of strategic scenarios: selection of raw materials, choice of supply points, choice of methods of transport, modification of industrial processes, etc.

A vast field of applications at the heart of businesses

Every business finds its own applications. The most widespread (35%) is the intelligent management of buildings, allowing lights to be turned off automatically, ventilation, heating and air conditioning to be regulated. The distribution sector has not been left behind with the widespread use of on-line commerce.

Other, more innovative areas, such as the smart grid in the energy sector, concentrate the attention and should bring major changes in future years. The applications are many and the potential for innovation colossal.

And what will your company be doing?

Devoteam France

thomas de lacharrière - Associate Partner [email protected]

Claire Allain - Consultant - [email protected] Manon André - Consultant

[email protected] Farah Belkadi - Consultant [email protected] Mac-Coy Pham - Principal [email protected]

Antoine Campenon - Marketing and Communication Manager - [email protected]

Germany

günther Pfleger - Head of BU Region South [email protected]

Austria

Martin esslinger - Partner [email protected]

Belgium

Pierre Dewez - Consulting Business Manager [email protected]

Dirk Pauwels - Senior Consultant [email protected]

Denmark

teddy schou - Sales Director [email protected]

Morocco

Mahdi Bouzoubaa - Consulting Manager & Deputy Managing Director - [email protected] lina Berrada - Senior Consultant

[email protected]

Middle East

ghada Al ikhwan - Marketing & Communication Coordinator - [email protected]

United Kingdom

Roger o’Kelly - Marketing Manager [email protected]

Roddy Maclennan - Sales and Marketing Director

CA Technologies

sonny Masero - Vice President, EMEA Business Unit Strategy - [email protected]

Viki Paige - CA ecoSoftware Product Marketing [email protected]

Marianne Kantor - Marketing Manager EMEA [email protected]

Belgacom

loïc lauwers - Key Accounts Sales Unit Manager [email protected]

Euro Green IT

stéphanie thirion - Operations Manager [email protected]

GreenIT.fr

Frédéric Bordage - Founder [email protected]

STC

Majed Abdulaziz Al otaibi - Marketing GM Enterprise business unit - [email protected]

TCO

Anna Pramborg - Communications Manager [email protected] stephen Fuller - Business Area Manager for Displays - [email protected]

Ecologic

Romuald Ribault - Marketing Director [email protected]

Pénélope guy - Major Accounts Manager [email protected]

CONTRiBUTORS

C o n n e C t i n g B u s i n e s s & t e C h n o l o g y