Sustainability

Technology decisions can affect equipment life, energy use, travel and waste. These are useful considerations alongside reliability, security, cost and the needs of your business.

Questions worth asking

• Can existing equipment be maintained or upgraded safely before it needs replacing?
• What are the energy, support and equipment requirements of an on-site or cloud solution?
• Would energy monitoring provide useful information for a particular property or process?
• Could a digital workflow reduce unnecessary printing or travel without making the work harder?
• How will data be removed and equipment reused or recycled when it reaches the end of its useful life?

Assess the specific change

The environmental effect of a technology change depends on the equipment, services and way it is used. Moving to the cloud or replacing a manual process does not establish a particular saving by itself. Any claimed reduction should have a clear baseline and a suitable measurement method.