We can all safely agree that sustainability, energy efficiency, and building an environmentally-conscious organization have been a top boardroom agenda for over two decades. The urgency for addressing environmental challenges has resulted in more energy-efficient data centers, long-term commitments to decarbonize business operations and a transition to renewable energy.
Unfortunately, despite building far-sighted environmental programs and deeper engagements with stakeholders, there is still a long way to go with sustainability in general, and IT sustainability in particular. A 2020 S&P Global market intelligence report[1] posits that though “Big Tech tops the sustainability index, the data-heavy nature of technology services poses a challenge to reduce the overall carbon footprint.â€
The 11th edition of the KPMG Survey of Sustainability Reporting confirms this view[2]. The report, which surveyed 5,200 companies across 52 countries, underscores the ongoing struggle to balance sustainability objectives and business outcomes while maintaining a green approach. Though a significant majority of companies connect their business activities with sustainable development goals (SDGs) in their corporate reporting, this is often unbalanced and disconnected from business goals.
On the positive side, sustainability is also more than just corporate window-dressing now — it is deeply embedded across business functions. The KPMG survey found organizations worldwide are moving up the green maturity curve, with 40% recognizing the financial risks of climate change in their reporting and a majority putting targets in place to reduce their carbon emissions.
Why Sustainability Matters More In a Crisis
2020, characterized by waves of disruption, has significantly reshaped consumer sentiment. Green initiatives have taken on a new significance in the wake of the global crisis, with consumers across industries rethinking what “sustainable behavior†means in the long term.
A vast majority of the 3000 respondents in this BCG survey[3] run across eight countries in May of 2020 when the crisis hit, said they wanted companies to support green measures and “do more to protect the environment.†A staggering 87% said private companies should integrate environmental considerations into their products/services and operations.
The business case for Mission Green has never been more critical. Let’s take a look at what this means for IT leaders and how they can be more vigilant about IT’s potentially disastrous impact on the environment.
Meeting the ‘Green IT’ Promise
For organizations worldwide, green can be factored into every IT decision today — from server virtualization for optimizing energy footprint to efficient disposal of end-of-life technology. Too often, underutilized servers or storage gear add to OpEx and energy costs and worsen the carbon footprint.
Though enterprises are acutely aware of the need to reduce energy footprint, build e-waste programs, monitor equipment usage, and green the supply chains, going beyond regulatory and compliance requirements remains an arduous task and requires significant investments. The challenge is to reverse climate degradation and actively contribute to sustainability goals, rethink technology solutions that boost performance and productivity, and in parallel, mitigate any immediate or long-term negative environmental impact.
IT solutions providers can play a pivotal role in helping organizations step up to the plate, build holistic, comprehensive green IT strategies, and architect sustainable transformation that actually delivers lasting changes.
In honor of Earth Day 2021, here are three innovative ways IT solution providers can help organizations meet sustainability objectives:
1. Server Virtualization
IT decision-makers (ITDMs) deploy virtualization projects to boost server utilization, optimize current infrastructure use, and reduce power, cooling, and storage costs. Though the prime drivers are to contain server sprawl, drive down costs and make overcrowded data centers more efficient, the virtualization movement has unlocked tremendous value by contributing to corporate sustainability initiatives. Often viewed as the linchpin of the sustainability agenda, virtualization technology nudged ITDMs to adopt greener IT hardware such as energy-efficient servers, storage, networking gear and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) in data centers to minimize environmental harm.
But more can be done. Even now, IT environments are severely plagued by underutilized computing resources that result in inflated costs and puts a strain on energy resources. Antithesis group found 30% of servers worldwide in data centers are unused and sitting ‘comatose.’[4]
Building sustainable digital environments starts by rooting out inefficiencies. The future balancing act involves leveraging IT infrastructure optimization — a key lever to maximize business efficiencies and improve sustainability.
Here are four actions technologists can take to push the virtualization envelope:
- Make a move to a more efficient cloud computing model.
- Minimize idle IT hardware and put in place a plan to decommission older assets.
- Move to higher-efficiency server form factors (i.e., blade servers) to reduce electricity usage.
- Task IT and DevOps teams for optimizing application performance and reducing infrastructure inefficiencies.
2. Eliminate E-Waste Responsibly
2020 has borne several paradigm-shifting technology trends. Chief among them was the heightened shift to IT hardware purchase that received a pandemic boost, accounting for the largest slice of IT spending in 2021, as per the 2021 State of IT report by essidsolutions Ziff Davis[5]. As organizations bulked up hardware across endpoint devices, servers, security appliances, and networking gear, little thought was spared for the growing problem of electronic waste from underperforming, out-of-date IT assets.
According to the UN’s Global E-waste Monitor 2020 report, a whopping 53.6 million metric tonnes (Mt) of electronic waste (e-waste) was generated worldwide in 2019, up 21% in just five years.[6] If that’s not alarming, there’s no slowdown in sight. The report found global e-waste is pegged to double over the next 16 years and hit 74 Mt by 2030. Unfortunately, only 17.4% of 2019’s e-waste was collected and recycled.
C-suite leaders can no longer afford to overlook the environmental harm caused by the sheer scale of hazardous e-waste generated each year, much of which ultimately gets dumped in landfills. Decommissioning end-of-life (EOL) IT assets such as servers, old computers, monitors, keyboards, printers, accessories, or other electronic devices should be a key facet of every business strategy. Organizations need to recognize the impact of e-waste and take concrete action to reduce its impact. A decisive move to safe IT asset disposition reflects the organization’s commitment to the universal goal of sustainability.
So, how can organizations reduce the impact of e-waste? One way to responsibly recycle e-waste is by partnering with an industry leader like Dell, which has been at the forefront of the movement for more than two decades, driving measurable change. Known for its long-term commitment to sustainability, DellOpens a new window has been leading the charge in defining standards and practices for reducing e-waste through its global Product Takeback and Recycling programs and Erase E-Waste SweepstakesOpens a new window , an annual campaign to stem the growing e-waste surge. As a result, Dell has recovered 2.1 billion pounds of e-waste and used more than 100 million pounds of sustainable material in their products.
See how organizations can take advantage of Dell’s global recycling and takeback program:Opens a new window
- Recycle: Use Dell’s free service to recycle outdated hardware responsibly for owned or leased hardware. Business customers also get detailed insights into each system’s journey from collection to final disposition.
- Trade and refresh: Trade in old Dell-branded hardware such as storage gear, hyper-converged/converged products and apply the credits toward new purchases.
- Repurpose, refurbish and reuse IT assets: Dell Outlet provides refurbished systems such as desktops and laptops made of reused components, reducing waste and allowing organizations to put sustainable tech at the heart of PC fleet management.
3. Build Energy-Efficiency with Optimal PC Refresh Cycles
Some of the most significant energy benefits can come from replacing old devices with more energy-efficient PCs and laptops. New PCs that are optimized for longer battery life take energy efficiency a step further without impacting performance. For instance, organizations can benefit from a range of Dell-branded energy-efficient Energy Star®Opens a new window products that reduce electricity usage and allow companies to shrink their carbon footprint. Energy Star-qualified products are recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Besides newer energy-efficient devices, organizations can also leverage circularity to drive sustainability. For instance, Dell has been pushing the boundaries of sustainable tech by using recycled plastics and reclaimed carbon fibers in its commercial product line. Additionally, the tech giant has also pioneered a new approach to sustainable devices with its “new future circular design vision.†As Dell’s Ed Boyd, Senior Vice President, Experience Design Group, puts it, circularityOpens a new window can create a self-sustaining close-loop where products gain second lives through reuse or upcycling. “This new circular design vision accelerates our leadership position and works towards creating solutions that will reduce waste, extend the life of technology, and bring everlasting positive environmental impact,†he said.
Takeaways
2020 was a stark reminder that sustainability should be a key pillar of corporate strategy. To move the needle on sustainability goals and drive it from a business perspective, organizations need to take a phased approach, starting with putting environmental safety at the core of the business model and leaning on green IT solutions to accelerate high-impact efforts.
As C-level executives and technology leaders train their sights on the post-pandemic future, the opportunities are endless. Green IT solutions such as Dell’s global recycling initiative, energy-efficient products and virtualization provide organizations with measurable ROI, improve corporate standing and help them differentiate in the eyes of responsible, eco-conscious consumers. The time to build and execute your world-class Green IT strategy is now.
Sources:
1 Big Tech Tops Sustainability Index, But Energy Reduction Hard to AchieveOpens a new window by S&P Global, 2020
2 The KPMG Survey of Sustainability Reporting 2020Opens a new window – KPMG Global, 2020
3 The Pandemic Is Heightening Environmental AwarenessOpens a new window by BCG, 2020
4 Report Finds That 30% of Servers are “Comatoseâ€Opens a new window by Anthesis, 2015
5 The 2021 State of IT ReportOpens a new window by essidsolutions Ziff Davis, 2020
6 Global E-waste MonitorOpens a new window 2020