Technology has never been easy on the environment. The majority of the time it’s harming it and even though companies are finding new, clever ways to try and reverse the damage sometimes we just need to give everyone that extra nudge in the right direction to help make the change.
Air and water pollution is the biggest thing to harm not only the environment but people and wildlife too. The main source of this all leads back to the industrial revolution when new technologies emerged like power stations, mass agriculture, fuel powered vehicles and and factories that started burning fossil fuels pumping gasses like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, etc. into the atmosphere.
How does technology affect the environment?
As more and more climate change protests/movements are happening around the world, attitudes towards climate change are moving in a more positive way as people and companies can see just how much our world is being affected. Car companies are a good example as they are on the forefront of the fight against climate change since cars are one of the biggest sources of fume emissions, however, their solution is introducing and promoting more hybrid and electric cars to customers because they emit less harmful fumes that affect the environment.
A lot of people may not know but TMT ( Technology, media, and telecom sector) companies also come under fire just as much if not more as devices such as mobile phones, microchips and data centres leave their own environmental footprint instead of having a physical exhaust pipe. Unfortunately, all TMT businesses are known to kick out a lot of power in the sense that the information and communications technology sector accounts for between 2-4% of global carbon emissions plus 7% global electricity use and Bitcoin results in 0.55% of global electricity production.
56% of consumers have confirmed that they would pay more money for more environmentally sustainable products if given the choice and more than half of enterprises believe 5G and more upcoming technologies are the way to go when trying to meet sustainable energy and products all over the world.
What can businesses do?
Businesses should put sustainability at the forefront of their priorities since waiting for change will only keep adding to the problem at hand. Here are some points that have been put together to give you an example of what businesses can do to help.
- Robust and agile performance management – Companies must change the way their products work. Cars, for example, are being created more to be hybrid models or fully electric. This brings better performance and less harm to the environment.
- Digital sustainability analytics – the means by which digitalisation can deliver analytics on the global sustainability goals and reports.
- Set up a green team – green teams are formal or informal groups of people in a company who are passionate about environmental issues. They mind-map solutions and promote ways in which their company’s practices can become more environmentally sustainable.
- Solar power – it is more environmentally sustainable since converts the sun’s energy into electrical energy and makes use of the greatest, most sustainable resource on the planet,sunlight.
- Rapid transition to sustainable sources – this will help to create conditions to phase out the use of coal, get rid of FF (fossil fuel) subsides and put a price on carbon emissions, etc…
- Encourage re-use and repair – is the process of stopping buying new products when something breaks (in all industries) , if it can be repaired first, do it!
- Transform supply chains – having product traceability technology allows companies to make informed decisions about their supply chain, the suppliers and the sustainability of what they produce.
- Ethical investing – investing can be sustainable by involving environmental, social and governance factors into an investment decision.
What do Matrix IT do to help the environment?
At Matrix we are committed to keeping our business sustainable.
Sustainability is important to us and to our children, so they can inherit a world that’s worth living in. In our sector we are quick to replace with the next generation of newer, faster technology. Where possible we try to get the most out of our existing infrastructure and only upgrade when there is a business need. We also recycle hardware which is disposed of ethically. Below is a list of what Matrix IT is doing to help the environment – Nic Cronin, Managing Director.
- We’re very selective with the suppliers we work with because we know our customers rely on us as their trusted technology advisor. We recently partnered with MPP Digital who provide print services to our customers. They work very closely with OneTribe and plant a tree for every 8333 pages their customers print.
- In recent years we have also made the decision to change our company cars from petrol to hybrid EcoBoost vehicles. All drivers now release less CO (Carbon Monoxide) emissions when travelling to site to fix customer issues.
- We have a no paper policy in the office at Matrix. We try our hardest to ensure everything is digital, from brochures to important updates, including our Christmas e-cards.
- We recycle all old devices and smartphones. If we can’t fix them or use them for testing we give them all to Jamies Computers, a local registered charity.
For information on our services and solutions, please contact us via email or call on 01329 888444.
