ICT for a Low-Carbon World: Activism, Innovation, Cooperation

Companies operating in the information, communications, and technology sector have a unique opportunity to trigger significant environmental benefits, not only by upgrading their operations but also by developing greener products and services for their clients. If the sector seizes this opportunity, it can reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by an amount equivalent to five times the carbon footprint of the ICT sector itself, with significant economic upside. So far, however, the ICT sector has largely failed to achieve meaningful consensus on how best to address its myriad challenges. Continuing with this fragmented approach could harm the sector’s prospects for a compelling and beneficial contribution to the environmental agenda, and could even limit growth. Worse, it could leave ICT companies in the position of reacting individually, and defensively, to patchwork regulatory measures imposed by governments.

To rise to the occasion, ICT companies will need to overcome several challenges, most notably the lack of a metric that can quantify their overall environmental efforts on behalf of clients. To date, there are many ways to measure the results of internal initiatives, but none that evaluates the net effect of ICT products and solutions leveraged specifically to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions for their customers. ICT companies will also need to take internal measures—such as designating champions for sustainability, setting aside budgetary resources, and devoting more R&D assets to green innovation—and reach outside their organizations by collaborating more with academic institutions and regulators.

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Source:

Booz