InQ.IFBA Portal da Inovação & Qualidade
By Beatriz Lourenço
The term Green IT originates from the English expression “Green IT”, which concerns a global movement that essentially involves the area of Information Technology, seeking to find ways and mechanisms to reduce the absurd and devastating consequences of exacerbated and non-ecologically conscious consumption to the environment. The Green IT concept, works with a group of more ecological practices, applying for example: reducing the use of technological equipment and reducing the consumption of non-renewable energy. In this way, the movement implies awareness of the current climate situation, and how fundamental is that restoration policies; seeking to present means for the global economy to continue flowing, however, in a more sustainable way. Felipe Andrade defines Green IT as “a set of practices that are adopted by a company’s IT, helping and supporting green strategies, that is, socio-environmental responsibility.” A study in 2007 by Gartner – a consulting company that develops technologies related to the introspection necessary for its customers to make their decisions – shows that the IT industry was responsible for approximately 2% of CO2 emission into the atmosphere, assuming the main role in emitting agents and in the exacerbated consumption of energy. On the other hand, there is an expectation that by 2030, based on efforts to make digital transformation more sustainable, the results of the IT area will correspond to 20% of the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions in the world.
The term Green IT originates from the English expression “Green IT”, which concerns a global movement that essentially involves the area of Information Technology, seeking to find ways and mechanisms to reduce the absurd and devastating consequences of exacerbated and non-ecologically conscious consumption to the environment. The Green IT concept, works with a group of more ecological practices, applying, for example: reducing the use of technological equipment and reducing the consumption of non-renewable energy. In this way, the movement implies awareness of the current climate situation, and how fundamental is that restoration policies; seeking to present means for the global economy to continue flowing, however, in a more sustainable way. Felipe Andrade defines Green IT as “a set of practices that are adopted by a company’s IT, helping and supporting green strategies, that is, socio-environmental responsibility.” A study in 2007 by Gartner – a consulting company that develops technologies related to the introspection necessary for its customers to make their decisions – shows that the IT industry was responsible for approximately 2% of CO2 emission into the atmosphere, assuming the main role in emitting agents and in the exacerbated consumption of energy. On the other hand, there is an expectation that by 2030, based on efforts to make digital transformation more sustainable, the results of the IT area will correspond to 20% of the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions in the world.
The current issue is that technology itself allows us to find means, mechanisms and equipment to facilitate and improve the preservation and restoration of global ecosystems. However, there are some factors that contribute to the progress of Green IT not showing up as sharply as desired. Two of these factors, which prove to be protagonists in this topic: the difficulty of having access to these technologies, and the fact that green technologies are more expensive than technologies that cause more damage to the environment, making it impossible for companies with smaller budgets to be able to opt for these kind of technologies. On the other hand, companies that employ this type of intelligence are able to leverage profits, reduce expenses and increase productivity, in addition to presenting their business as an institution that follows the evolution of values prioritized by society over time.
In addition, there are many criteria to be met for an IT to be considered green, for example, complying with ISO 14001, which is a standard created to help companies adapt, helping their environmental responsibilities to meet their goals. and introduce these companies to a reality of growth based on reducing environmental impact. ISO 14001 was supported by the “plan-do-check-act” or “PDCA cycle”.
