While multinationals and tech companies love to talk about their carbon footprints and the steps they are taking to diminishing them, they have to go beyond just earning brownie points and make substantial contributions, feel environment watchdogs.
The Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics states that while some companies like Wipro, HCL, Philips and HP are introducing greener products, others like Toshiba and Microsoft are not really doing much.
Another survey by Gartner and WWF-Sweden reveals that though the ICT industry sees climate change and sustainability as an emerging opportunity, as a whole it falls short of making the cause part of its core business.
Environment watchdogs say that though the ICT sector only contributes to 2 per cent of the world’s emissions, it is in a position to do more than what is being done currently. “Many companies believed that phasing out toxic chemicals like PVC and brominated flame retardants (BFR) from their products would not be technically viable, but companies like HCL, HP, Acer and Apple were successful in doing this without disturbing their efficiency,” says Abhishek Pratap, Greenpeace India Toxics Campaigner.
Reusing and recycling is another aspect that companies need to concentrate on and the Gartner and WWF survey acknowledges that Xerox is one of the few companies that reuses and recycles parts in a big way.
When it comes to “green” actions, most tech companies are confined to energy efficiency, working towards a target of a greener image and curbing emissions, phasing out toxic materials, promoting recycling, managing e-waste, and delivering to the huge yet budding market of climate change solutions. “What is still pending is communicating these strategies to customers and involving them in the process. Though a few companies have started this, the sector has yet to advertise and communicate their green moves,” says Pratap.
To be fair to the companies, as expectations among the green lobby are building, so are the responses. Compani-es like Panasonic have targets in place that could help them get the tag of a “green innovation” company by 2018. “The ‘Green Plan 2018’ outlines initiatives focused on seven key areas of CO2 reductions, resources recycling, water, chemical substances, biodiversity, eco-conscious products and cooperation with society,” says Arjun Balakrishnan, Director Operations and Planning, Panasonic India.
Siemens on the other hand is working on four key pillars. “These are initiatives towards pushing solutions in the industry, energy and healthcare sectors, quantifying the benefits and spreading eco-consciousness; walking the talk by bringing down corporate CO2 footprints; alliances with key players to further the use of green technologies; and running communication campaigns to create awareness,” says V. K. Menon, Head-Corporate Communications, Siemens South Asia Cluster.
Jargon aside, when one comes down to the basics, the common denominator is that most companies are working on making eco-friendly products. So if Xerox has the Emulsion Aggregation (EA) toner (a chemically grown toner that reduces the amount of energy and waste associated with printing) that ensures a 60-70 per cent energy saving per printed page; Philips has Econova, a TV free of PVC and BFR; Wipro has two desktop models that are 25 per cent free from PVC and BFR; and HCL has a notebook free from PVC, BFR, antimony and beryllium.
Talking of consumer participation, there is a lot of action one can expect in the coming years. With companies like Nokia already making its users recycle old phones, a few like Xerox and Panasonic are tying up with e-waste companies to manage their end-of-lifecycle products. “We also ensure that no waste is left open in the open market. We sign contracts with customers to recycle waste and take it off to our warehouses so that it can be disposed in the correct environment-friendly manner. We have also earmarked training programmes for our sales people and channel partners to communicate the benefits of green printing,” says Vipin Tuteja, ED-Marketing and International Business, Xerox India.