IT companies go green to come out of the red

“It’s a win-win situation for all. It improves the reputation of the company, takes care of the corporate social responsibility and also helps cut costs,” says Nirav Shah, president of Gujarat Electronic and Software Industries Association (GESIA).

The IT companies are feeling the pinch of the slowdown in the US. Though the companies insist that they are still in recruitment and expansion mode, experts say that the number of the projects the companies are getting this year has gone down to one-fourth of what it was in 2006-2007.

The companies in Gujarat have started using ‘the green concept’ to improve their reputation and attract clients in the global market. “Going green gives you an upper hand against competitors. The customers in the US are quality conscious and they prefer to deal with environment-friendly companies,” said Shah. GESIA is also organising a seminar on ‘going green’.

For companies, ‘going green’ means taking several steps such as using machines with power-saving mode, using natural light in offices during day time, increasing employee awareness on energy conservation, re-cycling/reusing of packaging material, avoiding use of polythene, reducing consumption of stationery and following LEED norms for construction purpose. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED-INDIA) Green Building Rating System is a globally approved benchmark for green buildings.

Some companies in Gujarat have already started adopting the green concept. “Our data centre for the Government of Gujarat includes power saving and power management features. Our next data centre for a public sector unit will be based on 100 per cent green concept including power saving features, design, and recyclable materials,” said Jagdeep Kocher, (n) Code Solutions, an Ahmedabad-based company dealing with setting up of data centres.

In India, companies such as HCL, IBM, Patni, and Accenture promote energy efficient products and services. HCL unveiled its Green Data Centre Services featuring a unique data centre, Green Quotient Assessment Framework this year.

Vinod Vaidyanathan, Manager, Corporate Communications, IBM-India and South Asia, said, “Going green is more than just marketing. Today, there is no option but to go green. Power is getting costlier everyday and the companies are under pressure to cut costs. The concept serves both the purposes. It saves the environment as well.”