Going Green

For most people, 'Green computing' seems like the end-user's responsibility. They have to use and dispose IT resources in an energy-efficient and eco-friendly manner. However, in reality it is a concept that pervades the whole lifecycle--right from the design to the disposal of IT equipment. A considerable responsibility rests with the creators of technology too.

Whether it is to be environment-friendly or to achieve economic gains, the users of technology - especially in business - are suddenly waking up to the concept of green computing. This is all about making efficient use of computers and computing, so that the devices consume less energy for operation and cooling (thereby reducing electricity bills), live longer (reducing capital outlay in the long run), and are ultimately disposed of neatly, in an eco-friendly manner, without leaving behind toxic residues (thereby serving the purpose of corporate social responsibility too).

As Nitin Chaudhry, director - Commercial Products, HP-Personal Systems Group, India, points out, "The idea is to make the whole process surrounding computers friendlier to the environment, economy and to society. Once computers are sold, businesses or people use them in a green way by reducing power usage and disposing of them properly or by recycling them. The idea is to make computers - from beginning to end - green products. Green computing requires an efficient system that implements these factors in an environmentally friendly way MCTS Training.

IDC defines Green IT as "the design, manufacture, deployment and recycling of IT products and related materials in an environmentally-responsible manner." As is evident from this definition, a major chunk of the responsibility for 'going the green way' rests with the creators and manufacturers of technology. Unless a manufacturer is committed and contributes to greening through the many stages of the product's development, ranging from design to recycling, it is immoral and misleading to use the green buzzword for marketing alone. That said, going green and enabling greening (on the consumer front) are not easy tasks, even though they pay off ultimately.

Greener pastures for companies that go green

In today's economy, there is an increasing need for more environment-friendly business practices and strategies. With energy costs skyrocketing and the threat of global warming, organisations will eventually be forced to take a look at IT's ecological impact," says Sharad Srivastava, director - Sales (India & South Asia), Western Digital. "The benefits of going green include the more efficient application of IT to business and therefore lowered energy use and waste. The customer has started understanding these needs and is aware of the benefits from green computing. So even though companies may not lose market share now -- in the long term, they will surely feel the brunt if their products are not eco-friendly MCITP Certification."

It is not just about cost savings, though. Chaudhry points out that all types of consumers, both individual and industrial, are becoming more concerned and aware about the environment. Pinning some numbers to his belief, he claims that about 25 per cent of the consumers in India consider environment-friendly products to be safe for nature. Another 28 per cent are concerned about the effects on human health and happiness, and are also protective of nature. "Given these figures, it can be assumed that products with environmental characteristics will have a competitive advantage over products with non-environmentally responsible alternatives," asserts Chaudhry. There are numerous examples of firms that have strived to become more environmentally responsible, in an attempt to satisfy their consumer needs.

With awareness amongst consumers on a slow but steady rise, it would be wise for manufacturers to genuinely adopt green practices. This would involve a certain amount of investment in research and development, but would ultimately pay off. Although the price of the product might also increase marginally to include the R&D effort, knowledgeable customers are unlikely to mind that because their total cost of ownership will ultimately be lower in the long run - thanks to lower energy costs, greater operational efficiency, and other significant benefits. Western Digital's Green Power hard-drives, for instance, consume almost 40 per cent less power than normal drives. Besides, these also provide increased power availability when the computers or other appliances using these drives run on power-generation equipment such as inverters, generators, etc. Such a benefit is obviously appreciated by the customer in a country like India where power cuts are a common and accepted phenomenon!

Ramdinsanga Saiwi, head-Marketing, WeP Peripherals, elaborates on how the benefits offset the investment in R&D: "Pursuing the cause of green IT necessarily means investments in manufacturing facilities. Plus, the adherence to certain environmental norms does lead to an increase in the cost of manufacturing in the case of certain products. Once the norms are more widely adopted and become part of industry standards, the costs do reduce." For example, in certain areas that WeP works in, such as remanufactured toners, mature technologies and processes ensure that the remanufacturing costs are low. These benefits are passed on to the consumers, who are then able to reap the financial as well as social benefits of green computing. "On the other hand, credible green IT initiatives also lend themselves well to promotion. Discerning customers are learning to segregate the true green IT companies and products from others who jump aboard the green bandwagon without credible green initiatives. This tends to raise the value of true green IT companies and products, which has a direct impact on profits,"adds Saiwi.

How do consumers evaluate the genuinely green product?

To make it easier for customers to decide on the credibility of Green IT products, companies could go in for various standards and certifications.

One of the most popular certifications in relation to green IT is the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT). It is a procurement tool that helps institutional purchasers in the public and private sectors to evaluate, compare and select desktop computers, notebooks and monitors based on their environmental attributes. EPEAT provides a clear and consistent set of performance criteria for the design of products, and provides an opportunity for manufacturers to secure market recognition for their efforts in reducing the environmental impact of their products. Essentially, it concretises the design and technological innovations aimed at greening. It rates electronic products in three levels of environmental performance Bronze, Silver and Gold. Products are evaluated on the basis of 23 required criteria and 28 optional criteria in eight categories. “IT managers purchase hardware that is EPEAT approved because this means that their maintenance is reduced, the hardware's life is extended, and it makes recycling the computer easy once it is no longer necessary," explains Chaudhry. HP's green products are also EPEAT certified.

Similarly, an Energy Star certification (http://www.energystar.gov/) for the product's energy-efficiency is likely to positively influence those customers looking for considerable cost-efficiencies due to power saving.

Is all this mandatory?

As of now, India has no hard and fast laws with reference to e-waste management. However, when manufacturers aim to export to other countries, they have to - typically - comply with the regulations in the importing nation. WeP, for example, was one of the first companies to start exporting its printers to the European market (since 2001) in conformance with the RoHS (Restricttion of Hazardous Substances) - an environmental legislation adopted by the European Union. WeP has taken up this initiative - with a commitment to extend the programme to all products manufactured by it - without any regulatory pressure, as there is no similar mandatory provision in the Indian law.

"Internationally, companies could be liable to huge penalties if they breach the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive. India is likely to reach that stage soon. Even now, the Indian government has taken steps in this regard and is progressing in an aggressive manner," says Saiwi, pointing out that India is party to the Basel Convention on trans-boundary movement of hazardous waste. "Under this convention, India has to regulate and help decrease the import of hazardous or other waste for disposal or recycling. It also has to veto the export of waste to countries that have prohibited the import of such waste. E-waste generation also needs to be curtailed taking into account the social, technological and economic aspects and the waste generated needs to be managed in a suitable manner."

Saiwi feels that the onus now rests with the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and the respective state governments, to implement such measures. "We expect the central government to
also involve itself in this process, for the centralised allocation of funds," he adds.

Plan and proceed

Any tech manufacturer with a long-term vision has to go green, now or sometime soon. This requires working out a holistic strategy that addresses the greenness of products manufactured, the adoption of green practices within the company itself, and educating the consumers about Green computing.

The initiative taken by WeP Peripherals is a good example of a holistic strategy to go green. WeP Peripherals has put together a green strategy to enter into the recycling of IT hardware products and has commenced this activity through its WeP Long Life Business Group where IT consumables like print heads, toner cartridges etc, are being recycled to reduce IT waste in the environment. In addition to this, the company has entered into an agreement to give its waste to India's first authorised Pollution Control Board e-waste recycler E-parisara.

Also, as mentioned earlier, WeP's products are in conformance with the RoHS and this was done way back in 2001! The company creates awareness mailers and booklets for the channel community, to educate them about the green toners and the importance of these products in promoting green IT. It also provides regular incentives and engagement programmes at the reseller-level to encourage them to use and promote green IT products. Many activities are conducted on World Environment Day and Earth Day to sensitise channel partners to get involved in environment-friendly issues.

Apart from internal initiatives to ensure safe e-waste management practices, WeP also started a Bangalore-wide citizens' programme in April last year, and set up e-waste bins across Bangalore. This is basically a simple set-up of special collection centres across the city to institutionalise the collection and segregation of CDs, floppy discs and dry cell batteries. What started as a small network of ten centres located at popular shopping areas in the city has now grown to around 150 collection centres in schools, colleges, offices, apartments and commercial establishments in Bangalore. Apart from this, WeP also organised an event called Green Dreamz in January 2008, aimed at creating awareness about e-waste management at the school level - this was done through tours of the PCB authorised recycling facility in Bangalore (e-parisara), interschool contests, etc.

"Globally, consumers are becoming increasingly conscious about green IT. In India, WeP is striving to create this awareness, although in a small manner. However, this is still in its nascent stage and it will be too early to comment on the effect of this on market share, per se," says Saiwi.

It is clear that any company with a long-term vision has to pay attention to green IT, because as consumers become more aware of its benefits, they are also going to become more choosy. Manufacturers are also becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of green computing, and are moving towards making and selling greener products. So, unless one moves fast to capture this emerging market, one is likely to face stiff competition. Being green will soon spell greenbacks - and the planet won't be complaining!

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Why go green?

* Energy-efficiency, reduction in waste, etc, lead to significant reduction in the total cost of ownership for the consumer. Done well, this could lead to a greater market share for the manufacturer, as customers are becoming more aware of green IT. So, going green has a positive impact on revenues.

* Being green makes it easier to export to regions like the European Union, where there are strict environmental legislations.

* Green certifications add credibility to the design and technological innovations of the company, positioning it well amongst the consumers.

* Environmentalism is no longer just another CSR initiative or a lifestyle choice. Internationally, companies could be liable to huge penalties if they breach the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive. India is likely to reach that stage soon.

* The use of poisonous substances like lead, zinc, mercury, chromium, etc, in the manufacturing process harms the human nervous system— affecting those involved in the production line as well as those who use the product over years. Exposure to mercury is so hazardous that half a teaspoon of mercury can poison an entire lake and, in turn, harm inhabitants of the surrounding area, immensely. So, green practices can help consumers and manufacturers shed the guilt of directly or indirectly harming many lives.

* By reducing carbon emissions, green products also reduce global warming.

* The power saved by devices may well be routed to provide electricity to more villages! According to statistics released by IBM a year ago, saving 80 per cent of the power consumed by 3,900 servers that use green alternatives, could result in enough electricity to power a small town.