IBM is at the forefront of ensuring energy efficiency and protection of the environment in the products and solutions that it provides.
Increasingly, companies are under critical energy and environmental pressures that are related to cost, regulation, stakeholder and new business development. They need to act, be seen to be acting, and achieve meaningful and measurable results.
IBM has addressed - and continues to address - societal issues. In 1971, IBM adopted its environment policy and has since placed emphasis on reducing our carbon footprint. In May 2007, IBM launched Project Big Green, a $1 billion (about R7.6 billion) investment to dramatically increase the efficiency of IBM products. New IBM products and services, announced as part of Project Big Green, include a five step approach to energy efficiency in the datacentre.
IBM has clearly led on product design for the environment, or what is now known in the industry as “dfe”. It began as a formal programme at IBM back in 1991. The environmental impact of our products was instilled into the product development community and now it’s a regular part of the way our developers think. Under IBM's global environment management system, the company tries to use recyclable and recycled materials, we design products for energy efficiency, we choose environmentally preferable materials, we design environmentally favorable packaging, and finally, we design for the eventual disassembly of the products in order to support product reuse and recycling.
IBM research, technology and insight is helping clients address their complex challenges and achieve goals through ‘smart systems and innovative approaches’.
Aware of IBM’s expertise in the area of datacentres, a number of clients have asked us to help them implement energy/carbon reduction projects. This experience and expertise was gained through helping clients.
“IBM is already delivering innovative solutions that include for example: energy efficient technology & services, intelligent transport and smart utilities. Working together with clients, IBM is innovating across areas such as carbon management, water management, weather modelling and alternative energy development.
“We call on companies and individuals to openly embrace the need to reduce our carbon footprint as we preserve our environment for future generations,” IBM South and Central Africa Executive Maureen Baird said.
IBM developed its method for determining the carbon footprint by studying publicly-available information from governments and NGOs, as well as from manufacturers of computer and workplace technologies. It analysed in detail the way that work patterns were affected by IT in a variety of organisations including those with large distributed infrastructures (geographically dispersed offices for fixed location workers or a base for a mobile workforce).
That information is published as a report entitled ‘Cutting the carbon footprint of IT’ and is available free from: ibm.com/easyaccess/publicsector. IBM recognises climate change is a serious concern that warrants meaningful action on a global basis, to this end IBM has decided to produce and share a paper for general consumption.
IBM will help clients implement their own Green Transformation Programmes, however clients wishing to do this on their own or with the assistance from other partners are free to do so.