Getting Started with Sustainability
Dell has been focused on sustainability for decades, said Steven Markham, the company’s North America sustainable technology community lead and CTO ambassador. Dell’s products achieved Energy Star status in the 1990s, and in the 2000s, it started using recycled plastics in its products, such as for bezels on its laptops and servers. In the 2010s, it began using ocean plastics in its products, and more recently, in 2021, Dell began Concept Luna, the company’s vision of technology in a future world where nothing goes to waste.
One important lesson Dell has learned along the way is that its efforts can yield benefits beyond environmental improvements. “Sustainability is a business outcome,” Markham said. “The outcome, ultimately, is cost savings over time.”
For its part, CDW founded an environmental, social and governance practice six years ago and works with a climate consultant to help identify ESG opportunities. CDW is rated in the top 3% of companies globally for sustainability and has achieved ISO Environmental Management Certification 14001, Coleman said.
CDW is also prioritizing working with partners who are focused on sustainability. Further, many partners are starting sustainability and accountability boards and ask CDW to participate in them. Every decision an organization makes affects its sustainability. “You inherit the carbon footprint of every company you partner with,” Markham said. “So, it’s essential to partner with companies that practice sustainability.”
DISCOVER: Tech companies pave the way for a sustainable tech future.
Organizations Can Take Steps Toward Sustainability
Data centers are massive users of energy, both to power servers and storage solutions and to keep them cool. Establishing sustainable practices in the data center can have a large impact on an organization’s overall carbon footprint.
Hardware decisions such as what cooling technology a data center will use and where cooling solutions will be placed can greatly affect emissions. “A year ago, cooling technology in the data center was different than what we have now,” Markham said. “The technology has made significant strides in the last year.”
Hardware-based innovations such as direct liquid cooling can help organizations provide better cooling in the data center while reducing their carbon footprint. Software tools can also improve an organization’s sustainability, Markham said. For example, Dell’s OpenManage tool can help organizations track energy consumption to help them control usage, maximize efficiency and reduce the risk of outages. Similarly, CloudIQ provides power tracking and management for storage technology.
Compliance issues around sustainability loom large. For example, California’s climate accountability laws will require organizations doing business in the state to meet new requirements for emissions in 2026 and 2027. Most companies don’t have the expertise to meet these challenges on their own. This creates significant risks, but a partner such as CDW can help companies mitigate these issues, Coleman said.
CDW has developed a sustainability landing page on its website that highlights sustainable hardware, including monitors, laptops, printers and batteries, as well as ESG and sustainability management software tools. Services, including sustainability and ESG assessments and IT asset disposition, can further help organizations meet this challenge. For example, CDW can help organizations identify compliance needs and build out plans to meet them.
Ultimately, organizations will need to address sustainability. Research by the Swiss Re Institute indicates that climate change could reduce the global gross domestic product up to 18% by 2050 if global temperatures rise by 3.2 degrees Celsius. “The cost of inaction is greater than the cost of action,” Coleman said.
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