Corporate Social responsibility Case Study

The ‘Green’ Challenge for IT industry

OR

Abstract:
At a consumer electronics show in Las Vegas, January 2005, several participating companies were busy showcasing environment friendly technologies they had developed. EBay announced the ‘Rethink’ project. Other heavyweights such as Intel, Apple and IBM were busy exhibiting similar environment friendly measures which included recycling facilities for their products. This was in response to the increased awareness among consumers and producers of IT products regarding environmental pollution issues. IT producers were especially being held responsible for creating environmental hazards, by environment protection agencies and independent groups.

The US based Environment Protection Agency (EPA) put more stress on recycling of electronic gadgets, as usage of such items was highly pronounced among people of developed economies. Industrialised nations produced digital equipment on a large scale, but there was not much scope of recycling them. Legislative measures like Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), and Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) were enacted to ensure compliance with environmental norms. Apart from environmental concerns, IT companies also faced the prospect of rising energy costs.

The case details about challenges faced by IT companies to innovate and build components that were sustainable and eco friendly, in other words, ‘Green’.

Pedagogical Objectives:

• To understand the environmental harms due to IT products
• To study the importance of environment-friendly products with increasing climatic threats
• To understand IT industry’s role in green-revolution
• To understand challenges involved in IT industry.

Keywords : Corporate Social Responsibility Case Study, Green IT, Environmental challenges, Industry change, global warming, climate change, increasing energy prices, disposal of IT gadgets, ROHS, WEEE, directives, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, Reduction of Hazardous Substances, Environmental laws, Environmental Impacts of IT, Challenges for IT industry, Benefits of Green IT, Green IT solutions, IT revolution, Europe, Global, Hi-tech, Business environment, Unsustainable industry, Reducing energy source, Recycling of electronic and IT gadgets, High energy consumption, Technological innovations, Toxic components in a P.C, Green initiatives, Major IT Firms, Greenhouse gas emissions