Imagine walking in to your local retail store in search of a new screwdriver. You narrow your choice down to two virtually identical models, both priced at $1.39. One, however, has a label proclaiming the tool's carbon footprint is 50 pounds. The other has a sticker declaring a carbon footprint of 25 pounds. If you're the owner of that retail store, which tool do you think your customers are most likely to buy? Or peering a bit further down the supply chain, if you're the maker of screwdrivers, whose tool do you think retailers are more likely to buy: yours or the eco-friendlier option from your competitor?
We already know that organizations worldwide have started measuring their carbon footprint -- more specifically, their CO2-e (carbon dioxide equivalent). Further, they've started assessing and reporting their eco-oriented CSR (corporate social responsibility) efforts, both to comply with regulations and to satisfy the demands of business partners or customers -- such as IT companies, including HP, IBM, Dell, and Xerox; retailers such as Wal-Mart; government bodies; hospitals; and so on.
[ Learn how green demands have trickled down the supply chain. | Pressure is rising for IT to help organizations battle global warming. ]
Now some organizations are taking it a step further, going so far as to measure the carbon footprint -- the amount of carbon dioxide that goes into manufacturing a good -- of individual products. PepsiCo, for example, calculated and published the carbon footprint of a half gallon of Tropicana orange juice earlier this year. The trend is indicative of a move toward a "carbon-constrained economy," says Larry Goldenhersh, CEO of Enviance, a provider of SaaS solutions for managing environmental and CSR data and requirements.
Through "global supply chain environmentalism," companies are essentially reducing the associated carbon footprint -- and, thus, the detrimental environmental impact -- of their products. The company that manages to deliver the product with the smallest carbon footprint will have a huge advantage over its competitors, Goldenhersh says. An otherwise identical $1.39 screwdriver suddenly has more value to increasingly eco-conscious customers if its manufacture results in 20 fewer pounds of carbon. Goldenhersh calls this "decommoditizing the commoditized market."
Get the independent advice and expertise you need to support a virtual workforce.
The increase in Linux popularity has increased the frequency and sophistication of malware attacks. Read this 2 page white paper now to learn how you can protect your Linux environment with real-time protection that is certified by all major Linux vendors.
Download now »
Ensuring acceptable application delivery will become even more difficult over the next few years. As a result, IT organizations need to ensure that the approach that they take to resolving the current application delivery challenges can scale to support the emerging challenges. This handbook elaborates on the key tasks associated with planning, optimization, management and control and provides decision criteria to help IT organizations choose appropriate solutions.
Download now »
A common misconception is that mid-range storage requirements are dramatically different than that of a larger enterprise. Mid-range storage users may require less capacity, but they have similar functionality and management requirements. This ESG paper examines mid-range storage needs and reviews a new solution that adjusts size while retaining value, performance and functionality.
Download now »
Sign up to receive InfoWorld Resource Alerts
916 Recommendations
