Sustainability


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Sustainable IT

Population growth, economic output and rising expectations in living standards threaten the capability of the planet to support us. As a consequence, the markets in which all businesses operate are starting to undergo fundamental changes.

We all have a moral obligation to connect with the environment around us because sustainable development is critical to our quality of life. This also means that both government and business have an important role to play in reducing the negative impact we have upon the environment and protecting the planet for future generations. This is known as Corporate Social Responsibility, or CSR.

Businesses need to function and remain competitive but they are now faced with several practical environmental issues that affect their IT use.

First, energy. The UK, like many countries is struggling to meet national demand for power to drive technologies which, in turn is pushing up prices. Data centres, for example are sucking in far more power than anticipated immediately following the technology crash in 2000/01. Ever since, energy use by servers, along with their power and cooling infrastructures, have doubled. There is no sign of a slowdown.

Second, electrical and electronic equipment waste. Following the introduction of the WEEE Directive, we now must dispose of end-of-life technology is an eco-friendly way to avoid over-burdening landfill sites unnecessarily and promote recycling. Coupled with regulations on reducing hazardous substances used in electrical and electronic equipment, legal measures are now driving environmental compliance in IT use.

Reducing the organisation's carbon footprint by limiting, for example, executive travel and replacing physical meetings with virtual meetings is becoming more commonplace. Businesses will be allocated free carbon units which. Once used, these units will be chargeable.

Further reading...

1. European Commission's press release on ICT and green role.

2. Business Case for Sustainable IT (MBA Thesis).

Rated ÞÞÞÞÞ

3. Green into Gold (Article)

4. Hot Topics in Green IT

CSR Policy

Sustainability Policy

Regulators

Information Commissioner

Did you know....

5.1 million people take their old computers to a rubbish dump in the UK; only 1 in 10 people recycle them. If predictions are correct, IT green services will peak at $4.8 billion in user spending by 2013

WEEE Directive

Presentations

How Green is Green?

Standards

ISO 14000

		Table of Statute Laws and Regulations
Key

Measures		Legal Summary	Regulatory Guidance	Member States Implementation	Additional Information
1st Level	2nd Level
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	I. Corporate Social Responsibility

			Communication COM (2002) 347 final on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

			Communication COM (2006) 136 final on CSR (growth and jobs)

	II. Energy and Carbon Footprint

			Energy Bill (Parliamentary Progress)


			Climate Change Bill (Parliamentary Progress)


	III. Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment

			a. Directive 2002/96/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 January 2003 on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)

			(i) Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2006
			(ii) Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (Amendment) Regulations 2007
			(iii) Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (Waste Management Licensing) (England and Wales) Regulations 2006
			(iv) Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (Waste management Licensing) (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2007

	IV. Restriction of Hazardous Substances

			Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 January 2003 on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RHoS)

			Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2006

	V. Environmental Information (duplication)

			Directive 2003/4/EC on public access to environmental information Repeals Directive 90/313/EEC

			Environmental Information Regulations 2004

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