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Do we need to be constantly told about a product’ s green credentials?
All of our panellists agreed- companies
need to get their act together when it
comes to their green strategies. Tse said:
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Is it too hard to compare products and services due to a lack of uniform standards?
The onus is still on buyers of tech-
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ments that are easily understood by their
target audience, otherwise the message
will be lost. Despite the fact that there
is no uniform standard for measuring
greenness, companies should still be able
to communicate how their product or
service is eco-friendly using easily understood
units of measurements,” said Tse.
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“ Every company is different regarding
how much value they place on being
green and eco-friendly. For some, this is
an important issue that they place a high
value on, and their products are designed
and engineered accordingly.”
Gibbons was a stronger, saying:“ A product
’ s‘ green’ credentials are a very important
aspect of its overall characteristics and I
don’ t know any credible organisation that
doesn’ t have sustainability as part of its
underpinning values.”
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nology to figure out what everyone’ s
different claims about greenness and
environmental friendliness mean. Tyrer
suggests:“ There are a number of different
standards that measure greenness
which make the environment complex.
Organisations need to make a concerted
effort to consider the expected longevity
of the infrastructure, looking at areas
like CAPEX vs OPEX, and return on
investment over the lifetime of products
or services.”
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Will standards make a difference? Gibbons
said:“ I am not sure if standards
would change this situation much, as
every company needs to assess sustainability
from their unique set of circumstances
and strive for the very best
outcome; however, standards may be
useful in encouraging us to benchmark
against the minimum acceptable level
and give the public a point of reference
when comparing between different
organisations.”
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Both Tyrer and Deguara agreed that we
are still at the beginning of the green
journey. Tyrer told us:“ Some level of
green credentials is expected by the
market; however, not all green standards
are uniform.”
Deguara had some strong words, saying:
“ We’ re nowhere near the point where we
can assume the technology we use has
either been designed for minimal envi-
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This makes it hard for business, as there’ s
no way to compare apples with apples
if everyone is using different systems to
articulate their green credentials.“ If you
really want to gauge the environmental
impact of a product you’ re using, the
data may be available but trying to find
it can be the challenge,” said Deguara.
For those selling services that they’ re
touting as green, the challenges are
different.
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Is green technology a part of strategic planning for IT managers?
All four panellists agreed that energy
efficiency and green technology were significant
influences in IT strategic planning.
“ Green technology has become increasingly
important for strategic planning
for CIOs and IT managers,” said Tyrer.
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ronmental impact or can be assumed to |
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help us reduce our own impact on the
environment.”
OUR PANEL
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“ If a company makes green marketing
a priority, they should offer measure-
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Within Fiji Xerox, Gibbons said:“ Green
technology is one of the critical lenses
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© iStockphoto. com / Salawin Chanthapan |
Paul Tyrer, Vice President- Pacific, Schneider Electric |
Mark Deguara, Senior Manager Technical Services, Emerson Power |
Judith Tse, Marketing Director- Asia Pacific, LifeSize Communications |
Craig Gibbons, Chief Information Officer, Fuji Xerox Australia |
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