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John Davies
Vice President
Green Technology Research
Hewlett Packard’s ultimate contribution to mitigating climate change will come from the leadership it exhibits in bringing its upstream suppliers along, and in the energy efficiency HP provides to its customers with innovative products, solutions and services. HP’s role in establishing the Electronics Industry Code of Conduct (EICC) will help raise the standard for all of the suppliers it does business with and will further ripple upstream to influence its extended supply chain. It’s uniquely positioned to capitalize on the opportunities across the entire IT domain and develop technologies that can help address the carbon intensity of the overall economy, even outside the IT domain.
HP has set aggressive but realistic climate change and energy goals. With direct emissions almost completely accounted for by electricity use, HP is complementing internal energy efficiency initiatives with investments in renewable energy. Internally, its data center consolidation efforts reduce its footprint and demonstrate what can be achieved with the right motivation. HP’s investments in renewable energy, such as its new solar installation in San Diego, is further complemented by an internal incentive plan to foster employee adoption of the technology.
To move forward, HP needs to do the following: First, invest in additional energy efficiency and intelligence solutions to help customers lower their electricity-related emissions. And second, continue its pursuit of innovative ideas through its Design for Environment strategy to deliver products such as the HP HALO telepresence solution, which cuts down on the energy consumed by business-related travel. Most importantly, HP needs to move beyond just leading by example and communicate directly with other companies and consumers about how we all can have an immediate impact in mitigating climate change. |
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