* Reasons green matters; efficiency and corporate responsibility
Despite a growing recognition that environmental concerns will affect IT operations, most big companies haven’t yet gone green, according to a new report from Forrester Research. In a survey of 124 IT operations and procurement professionals, 85% said environmental factors are important in planning IT operations yet only 25% have incorporated green criteria into their purchasing processes.
Hardware vendors such as Advanced Micro Devices, Cisco, Dell, EMC, HP, IBM, Intel and Sun are touting green initiatives such as energy-efficient servers, data center power and cooling solutions, cleaner manufacturing and equipment recycling programs. Earlier this month, IBM announced its “Project Big Green” initiative, and Apple outlined plans to remove toxic chemicals from its products.
“We heard two reasons why green matters: efficiency and corporate responsibility,”: says Christopher Mines, a senior vice president with Forrester Research. “Most IT decision-makers told us that a green purchase would only happen in the context of cost reduction. These are hard-headed, ROI-driven business decisions.”
However, vendors need to do a better job of getting the word out about their environmental initiatives. Only 15% of those surveyed in North America and Europe said they have a high level of awareness of vendors’ green initiatives, while most said they heard little or nothing from top-tier vendors about green solutions.
Most respondents expect going green to affect their purchasing decisions in the future. Still, they’d have to be able to demonstrate cost savings in addition to social consciousness.
