“The oblivious capitalist's days are numbered” is the subhead of “Business
3.0,” a recent article in Fast Company by futurist Andrew Zoli. Mr. Zoli
describes both some of the disastrous effects our civilization has unleashed on
the global environment as well as some of the bold new approaches business
leaders are initiating to convert this situation into an economic
opportunity. He calls for an
“Eco-Innovation Revolution” supported by a new practice of “ecologically
conscious capitalism.” (To read the article, see www.fastcompany.com/magazine/113/open_fast50-essay_Printer_Friendly.html)
“Ecologically conscious capitalism” is an emerging growth
strategy for businesses in many industries. Major IT companies are among the early adopters. Why? Because
they can do well by doing good. They can
do something tangible about stressed out natural resources and, at the same
time, they can grow their businesses. They see growth opportunities in terms of costs savings, customer
satisfaction, and new revenue streams as well as corporate image perceptions
worth millions.
Three Examples
1. IBM Reinvents the Data Center
IBM will invest $1 billion per
year to develop products and services that reduce corporate data center energy
consumption – and related data center operating costs. The company’s new BladeCenter "S,"
previewed on June 13th, can help reduce the 25 to 45 servers used by
an average mid-size company by up to 80 percent and is also designed to
minimize IT administration. (Read the full announcement at http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/presskit/21704.wss)
2. Apple Removes Toxic Chemicals from
Electronic Product
‘Apple is
already a leader in innovation and engineering, and we are applying these same
talents to become an environmental leader,” says Steve Jobs, CEO, Apple
Computer, in his “Greener Apple” statement, a response to criticisms by
environmental groups that could hurt the Apple brand. The focus of the statement is what is already
being done to remove toxic chemicals from the company’s products and recycle
products to reduce e-waste, and it concludes with a commitment to address other
environmental issues as well, such as the energy efficiency and carbon
“footprint” of the company’s products. (For the full “Greener Apple”
statement, see www.apple.com/hotnews/agreenerapple)
3. Intel Reduces Energy Costs and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Intel, the world leader in silicon innovation, and Google
Inc., the search technology innovator, joined with Dell, EDS, HP, IBM,
Microsoft and others earlier this month to launch the Climate Savers Computing
Initiative. By setting aggressive
targets for energy-efficient computers and components, these companies hope to
save $5.5 billion in energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 54
million tons per year. (Read the news release at
www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20070612corp.htm?iid=pr1_releasepri_20070612r
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