Technology firm Dell says it has reached its target of becoming a carbon neutral company ahead of schedule, thanks to an aggressive global energy-efficiency campaign, and increasing purchases of green power, verified emission reductions and renewable energy certificates.
European, Middle East and Africa environmental programme manager Marcus Albers tells Engineering News that the company had aimed to be carbon neutral by the end of this year.
While there are many definitions of 'green information technology (IT)', Dell looks at this concept through four phases of a product life perspective: product concept and design, manufacturing and operations, customer experience and the end-of-life phase and recycling.
Albers explains that, as a result of legislation and the phasing out of chemicals particularly in the last ten years, all operations continue to adhere to regulations, combined with significant research and development investment, to ensure that products are energy efficient, greener and cost-effective.
Albers points out that there is an "awakening" in the industry to the concept of green IT and that there have been initiatives in Europe, for example, where industry has come together to look at solutions to meet the requirements of legislation, such as the phasing out of the use of led.
Dell South Africa client product brand manager Ben McDonald tells Engineering News that, given the current power crisis in the country, green IT becomes important in its role of reducing energy consumption.
But the challenge, he points out, is changing the mindset of higher-end users, such as large businesses, and educating the general public in understanding the role of green IT.
"There is a lot of legislation worldwide which mandates the use of green IT. The South African government is in the fact-finding phase, with a few gazettes drafted for possible legislation. I believe that, when green IT is part of legislation, there will be a rapid roll-out of this concept in industry," says McDonald.
He adds that, in South Africa, green IT is a feature of nongovernmental and government tenders, which is an indication that public and private sector are beginning to realise its significance.
Since 2004, the company has purchased green electricity from utility providers, including wind, solar and methane-gas capture, has grown from 12-million kWh to 116-million kWh, an increase of nearly 870%.
Earlier this year, the company announced that its global headquarters campus in the US was powered by 100% green energy.
Last month, the company made additional investments in wind power in the US, China and India. Combined with green electricity purchases from utility providers, this equates to 645-million kWh, and reduction of more that 400 000 t of carbon-dioxide.
The company is already saving more than $3 million a year and reducing CO2 emissions by nearly 20 000 t through facilities improvements and a global power-management initiative. It is estimated that the OptiPlex desktop systems have helped customers save more than $2,7-billion and reduce about 26-million tons of CO2.
Dell is partnering with Conservation International on a habitat and forest preservation initiative in Madagascar. The company will help protect more than 591 000 acres of tropical forestland, preventing more than 500 000 t of CO2 from entering the atmosphere over the next five years.
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