Bell survey exposes a lack of green initiative

UK organisations are failing to adopt a green IT policy and the channel is partly to blame, storage distributor Bell Micro has asserted.

Bell’s Passing the Green IT Buck report revealed that only a fifth (21 per cent) of UK firms have adopted a written policy on how to improve their IT department’s impact on the environment.

And of these businesses, 61 per cent have not fully implemented green IT policies, with 15 per cent failing to even start the process.

According to Bell’s findings only eight per cent of UK businesses have implemented a green IT policy in full.

Antony Young, director of services at Bell Micro, said: “Resellers are not doing enough to push the green message to their customers as trusted advisers.

“They are going into a potential project and promoting green as a sales pitch, instead of as a
business benefit.”

The survey also found that 36 per cent of large enterprises have adopted greener IT compared with just 16 per cent of small and medium-sized firms.

“It is clear that chief executives are saying green is important, but they are not adopting the policies through their IT,” Young added.

“Many believe that through superficial projects, such as a paper recycling bin and energy-saving light bulbs, they are doing their bit, but they are not taking responsibility for their IT carbon emissions.”

Christopher Evans, managing director of reseller Oaksystems, said: “Whether it is computing, carrots or cabbage, green is another concept to make people spend more money. Businesses are not adopting green policies because they do not have the funds.

“If the IT industry was so green it would not make everything obsolete every few months and force end users to replace their equipment, which is perfectly serviceable for many more years,” he added.