July 11, 2007

HSBC Details Green IT Strategies

HSBC is implementing a range of energy-saving IT initiatives across its 10,000 offices, with the target of reducing power consumption by seven percent by the end of 2007, vnunet reports.

HSBC environmental adviser Francis Sullivan says it is easy for companies to make green policies and commitments, but harder to actually implement environmental IT strategies. “Even though it’s a challenge it’s clear to us that IT is critical to the solution,” he said.

IT strategy highlights from another vnunet article:

• The bank has implemented desktop software across its international operations that switches-off of machines at night, closing any open files and shutting down the desktop system unit. The software has been installed on almost 20,000 UK PCs.
• The bank’s operations in Asia-Pacific have made a reduction of 90 tonnes of CO2 by installing energy-smart software on new computers, including features such as shutting down machines when left idle.
• Between June 2003 and June 2005, the bank switched to LCD flat-screen monitors, which reduced CO2 emissions by an estimated 170 tonnes.
• The bank is now trialling virtual boardrooms in its major global offices, with the aim of cutting down on international travel. The teleconferencing facilities in London, Paris, Hong Kong and New York are being developed at a cost of about £50,000 at each office.
• In India, the bank has developed ‘?eco rooms’ which allow staff to work outside of office hours. The rooms are self-contained and supported by standalone air conditioners with data connectivity, where staff can work without starting the central cooling systems.
• The bank predicts annual energy savings of 13.5 million kWh in its three new UK data centres, which represents 3.2 per cent of the total energy used in 2006. The saving equates to the energy consumed in 89 large HSBC UK retail branches and an annual C02 reduction of 5,750 tonnes, which is 6.4 per cent of the 2006 UK total.

Last month, HSBC announced that it will spend $90 million over five years on a “Global Environmental Efficiency Program” to reduce the bank’s environmental impact through a series of initiatives

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