Sustainable IT - how technology can help your business be net zero

An article on the British Business Bank website recently talked about how sustainability, net-zero, and reducing your start-up’s carbon footprint is an important issue for business owners. From cutting down on waste to reducing the number of miles travelled for business, many small changes can lower harmful greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

One area to focus on is how technology and IT equipment are used effectively to reduce energy usage. Sustainable IT is determined by how businesses reduce the impact of IT equipment, such as office electronics, through to industrial equipment and plant.

There are several ways IT equipment can harm the environment:

• Electronic waste – IT equipment can contain waste that is harmful to the environment, from plastics to toxic materials such as batteries. Electronic waste must be recycled appropriately.

• Energy usage – much of our technology can consume energy needlessly, such as operating when not in use or using older, inefficient IT equipment.

• Materials consumption – IT equipment can require significant resources and energy to manufacture and transport, including rare earth materials. They may rely on polluting industries such as mineral mining, shipping, plastics creation and international freight transportation.

Adopting a more sustainable approach to IT equipment through reduced usage and schemes such as recycling, upcycling, and reuse can help reduce their environmental impact. Encouraging staff to change behaviours, such as switching off computers and monitors, may also reduce emissions. Saving energy can also benefit a start-up’s bottom line too. Lower energy bills, less capital expenditure on equipment and more efficient IT use, may help save money and increase profits.

Read more about this subject on the British Business Bank website.