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Received wisdom states that in hard times, sustainability takes a
back seat. Yet, it is also true that in a downturn, many businesses
grab the opportunity to reassess working practices and business
processes with a view to reducing costs, improving efficiency
and eliminating waste – the classic sustainability agenda. At
a Brother press conference last month, Arnaud Gagneux, IDC
director of Imaging Hardcopy and Document Solutions, gave an
overview of printing trends among Europe’s SMBs, which show
that sustainability is once again a priority, with 61% of senior
managers stating that it was either important or very important
to reduce their organisations’ environmental impact through
Green IT
(source: IDC Green IT Survey, September 2011 – UK,
France, Germany, Spain)
. The resurgence of Green IT in 2012 is
being driven by high energy costs and hard economic factors
rather that environmental or CSR imperatives. In other words, it
now rests on very solid foundations and is less and less likely to
be influenced by changes in fashion or the economic cycle.
James Goulding
, Editor
03 Agenda
10 Cover story
Olivetti brings together digital
data and handwritten notes
12 Catering
Why Tata Global Beverages is
strengthening its relationship
with the Rainforest Alliance
15 Paper
Is demand for recycled
paper being
driven by what’s
best for the
environment or
what’s best for
the user’s carbon
footprint?
18 Phone Recycling
How Purple Gossip is
prolonging the life of
smartphones
18 Mailing
Franking is the smart choice
Editor:
James Goulding
07803 087228 [email protected]
Advertising Director:
EthanWhite
01474 824711 [email protected]
Publishing Director:
Neil Trim
01732 759725 [email protected]
Group Sales Manager:
Martin Jenner-Hall
07824 552116 [email protected]
Advertising Executive:
Brett Blake-Morris
01732 759725 [email protected]
Sustainable Times is, published by Kingswood Media Ltd.,
Amhurst House, 22 London Road, Sevenoaks TN13 2BT
Tel: 01732 759725. Email: [email protected]
No part of Sustainable Times can be reproduced without prior written permission
of the publisher. © 2012 Kingswood Media Ltd.
Design: Sandtiger Media www.sandtiger.co.uk
The paper used in this magazine is obtained from manufacturers who operate
within internationally recognized standards. The paper is made from Elementary
Chlorine Free (ECF) pulp, which is sourced from sustainable, properly managed
forestation.
SPRING 2012
20 What’s New
Our selection
of the best new
products and
services
26 Renewable
Energy
How Coventry
Golf Club has cut
energy consumption by a
quarter
28 Green OfficeWeek
What Avery has in store
this year
29 Opinion
Why SecurEnvoy says the
future of authentication is
by mobile phone
30 Company Cars
Steve Hewson picks his Top
10 for a green fleet
CONTENTS
greenAgenda
sustainabletimes
03
Lack of investment puts brakes on
drive for energy efficiency
Rising energy costs and the desire
to reduce carbon emissions have
pushed energy efficiency to the top
of the boardroom agenda, yet still
one in three managers responsible for
energy management questions their
employer’s commitment to the cause.
A report by Siemens, the
Siemens
Green League
, reveals a clear mismatch
between the perceptions of directors
and business managers in 600
businesses surveyed.
While more than eight out of 10
directors (83%) believe their business
is serious about energy management,
almost one third (31%) of those
responsible for implementing energy
efficiency measures say the issue is not
being taken seriously enough.
In support of this argument, the
Siemens report highlights a lack of
investment and manpower committed
to improving energy efficiency: nearly
half (43%) of energy managers admitted
to spending less than 10% of their time
on energy management; and almost one
in three (30%) board directors said a
lack of perceived return on investment
influenced their commitment to energy
efficiency measures.
Even so, 70% of businesses are
planning to invest in energy efficiency
projects in the next three years.
www.siemens.co.uk
Fear of disruption to core IT
operations is causing organisations
to miss out on power consumption
savings of 40%, Ovum claims in a
new study of 11 leading PC power
management (PCPM) systems.
In
Selecting a PC Power
Management Solution Vendor
, Ovum
states that by managing PC power
consumption US businesses can look
forward to annual energy savings of
around $36 per PC and associated
reductions of 380kWh and 586 pounds
of CO2 per PC per year. It adds that the
payback period for many solutions is no
more than six months.
Even so, Ovum’s research shows
that many IT decision-makers remain
reluctant to implement a PCPM
solution.
Rhonda Ascierto, Ovum Senior
Analyst and author of the report,
said: “There exists a general mistrust
among IT departments and a fear that
power management solutions may
disrupt core IT operations. But this is
a misconception: none of the power
management solutions we review in
this report disrupts maintenance or
other IT processes.”
Another reason for low levels of
adoption, she suggests, is misplaced
confidence in PCs’ built-in power-
saving technologies which, although
improved, are largely unable to tackle
‘PC insomnia’ that occurs when a
machine is idle yet unable to shut
down or switch into a low-power
mode.
www.ovum.com
PC power management a question of trust
In an attempt to become the leading green serviced residence provider, Ascott has
launched a series of initiatives aimed at achieving a 15% reduction in water and
energy consumption by 2015 (calculated per square metre of gross floor area). As this
is from 2008 base levels, Ascott is already almost two thirds of the way there, having
recorded 9% lower energy and water usage in 2011 than in 2008. The ‘Go Green @
Ascott’ sustainability drive is being rolled out across Ascott offices and properties in
70 cities and 21 countries worldwide. It focuses on five main areas: green buildings
and sustainable building materials; environmental and health & safety management;
green products; waste reduction and water and energy conservation; and stakeholder
engagement.
www.the-ascott.com
Citadines Mount
Sophia Singapore
features sky gardens
and naturally
ventilated corridors
that reduce the need
for air-conditioning