Sustainable IT is not a brand-new idea. But it is an essential one.
And it’s just as essential that businesses understand the technology’s terminology and potential. Because once leaders understand it, they can act on IT
From here to zero
The world is starting to act at pace on climate change. People, planet and profit are finally being prioritised in the right order. Every operation must be reviewed – and IT is no exception.
To help achieve Net Zero and Zero Waste ambitions, it’s time for leaders to ignite sustainable innovation; extend the lifespan of their technology and apply circular economy principles to IT. Because, frankly, it’s now or never.
The more we all understand sustainable IT and its benefits, the more it can help relieve the pressure on our planet and our businesses. We’ve put a guide together to help explain all that it is and all that it can be.
Only 43% of leaders know their organisation’s IT carbon footprint.
We’ll help you reduce the carbon impact of your IT today.
From top to bottom
Sustainable IT is the design, manufacture and disposal of IT equipment with minimal impact on the environment. There are a number of different ways this goal is realised.
Use for longer The most sustainable option is the one you already have. Using analysis, forward planning, repair, and sparing to make in-life platforms run for longer.
Authorised (refurbished or remanufactured)
Authorised equipment has been refurbished or remanufactured and certified specifically by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). It has been restored to its highest utility and comes complete with full manufacturer warranties.
Remanufactured
Hardware that has been fully deconstructed, checked and reconstructed with either reused or new parts. It is then rebuilt to the specifications of the original manufactured product. Every component is tested. The finished products look and work like new.
Refurbished
Used hardware which has been tested for defects and had damaged components replaced. Refurbished hardware is not necessarily returned to an ‘as new’ aesthetic condition.
Redeployed and reused
Often the technology has more life remaining than the current user needs. Once a technology is finished with, it can be redeployed and reused in different sectors.
Recycling
The least attractive option. Recycling involves the repurposing of some materials from used IT equipment but, unlike in remanufacturing or refurbishment, materials waste most of the embedded energy and carbon during the recycling process. It does not have the ecological impact of refurbished or remanufactured technology.
Reduce data
Data has an environmental footprint in its creation, storage and use. A more sustainable approach to data starts with a review of what’s needed, what can be shared and what can be deleted, archived or repurposed.
Work with us, not for us
While technology is at the heart of our service, our culture, values and approach are distinctly human. To us sustainable performance is as much about our people as our business.
The internet has a physical footprint as it requires electricity to run the datacentres, the networking infrastructure and the devices we use to access it. This electricity produces a carbon footprint. Websites that are designed in an energy efficient manner produce less carbon. The more autoplay video, high res images and content on a site, the more energy it takes show this content- meaning a greater carbon footprint for the page.
Our Low Carbon Mode reduces energy consumption by displaying darker colours.
"OLED screens that light up each pixel individually are becoming increasingly popular. They present an opportunity for digital designers to save energy. As you might expect, darker colours require less energy to illuminate, with black being the lowest energy colour and white being the most energy intensive." sustainablewebdesign.org
We were inspired to build a more energy efficient site through our friend Gerry McGovern and from learning about Wholegrain digital. We consciously designed and built this site to highlight this issue by showing a standard and low carbon mode. Our standard mode is ‘cleaner’ than 95% of all other websites tested and we’re focussed on continually improving this.
If you’re interested in the performance of your site, click here
