Posted by Greenbang on March 12th, 2009
Following is a guest commentary by Stefan Foryszewski, Co-Founder & Senior Vice President of OB10
With business leaders focused on cutting costs — and establishing their green credentials — in the economic downturn, it’s surprising that more organisations aren’t turning to e-invoicing.
Electronic invoicing networks help save businesses vast amounts of paper each year by completely eliminating the need for printed invoices. E-invoicing networks can also simplify and streamline the invoice-to-pay process by enabling suppliers to submit data directly from their billing systems. Our network, for example, lets suppliers send information via OB10 directly to their customers’ accounting systems, eliminating the need to print, mail, process, manually key-in and store paper invoices.
Many companies worldwide have adopted e-invoicing to not only save on paper but to conserve valuable environment resources and improve their corporate responsibility mandates. Which organisations have joined the trend? They include HP, GSK, BP, Lufthansa, Barclays, Kellogg’s and the UK Public Sector.
Think about it. In the traditional invoicing world, a computer or billing system prints an invoice on paper. That piece of paper is then sent in the post to another organisation, where a person takes the invoice’s computer-generated output and enters it in to another computer, the payables system. The paper invoice is then itself stored for the minimum required period before being ultimately disposed of.
Mistakes are too easy under this system. In fact, industry figures suggest that anywhere between 8 and 20 percent of invoice transactions regularly have mistakes … which means the entire process from printing to sending must then be repeated.
With e-invoicing, this whole issue is avoided: inaccuracies are picked up straight away, meaning there is no need for sending duplicates.
Additionally, e-invoicing networks can archive and store invoices electronically, which removes not only the need for paper-based invoices but paper storage costs and other complications such as sending waste to landfills.
The amount of paper currently wasted this way is staggering. Here in the UK, we consume around 12.4 million tonnes of paper each year, with between 60 and 80 percent of all office waste being paper, according to Envirowise, a government-funded programme that helps UK businesses increase profitability whilst reducing environmental impact.
The global impact of wasted paper is a serious concern. According to recent statistics, almost 20 percent of Africa’s forests will be gone within 15 years, with fatal consequences for the wildlife that inhabits those areas.
A perhaps less obvious concern, but no less important, is the reduction in fuel and energy used to process and distribute invoices. OB10 has calculated that, in 2008 alone, electronic invoicing helped its customers save the equivalent of 1,570 trees, 185 barrels of oil, 2,500 kilograms of air pollutants and 379,000 kilowatts of electricity — enough to power the average home for 46 years.
With e-invoicing, accounts are more streamlined and processes are simplified. As a result, with the reduced hassle of manual tasks, transactional costs are also noticeably reduced — typically by 60 percent — and customers make a return on investment within a year.
E-Invoicing helps companies not only improve processing for themselves, but lets them contribute to the global effort to preserve the environment.
About OB10
OB10 (www.OB10.com) is the leading global B2B e-invoicing network. OB10 simplifies and streamlines the complex invoice-to-pay processes. Neither client organisations nor their suppliers are required to implement any hardware or software, and OB10 is independent of data file formats. OB10 can reduce the cost of paper invoice processing by typically 60 percent and can deliver an ROI in less than a year if the programme follows OB10’s best practice guidelines. Operational across Europe, North America and Asia, OB10 is compliant with the requirements of VAT, tax and e-invoicing legislation and receives invoices from suppliers in over 100 countries. To ensure unrivalled and rapid supplier enrolment, each new customer’s suppliers are supported by an implementation services team responsible for getting them up and running on the OB10 network.
Customers include: Agilent Technologies, Barclays, BP, Cargill, DHL, DSG International, Eli Lilly & Company, East Riding of Yorkshire, Fisher Scientific, General Motors, GlaxoSmithKline, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Imperial College, Kellogg’s, Logica, Mohawk Industries, Norwich Union, SaraLee, Shaw Industries and Steria.
Posted by Greenbang on January 13th, 2009
More head-spinning updates on the “Google searches are melting the planet” brouhaha: the research that reportedly found two Google searches produce as much carbon dioxide as heating up a pot of tea is being refuted not only by Google but by … the researcher himself.
The Guardian reports today that Harvard physicist Alex Wissner-Gross says his yet-to-be-published study did not focus on the impact of Google but on the carbon footprint of the Web in general. While acknowledging that Google, being a part of the Internet and all, does in fact have some environmental impact, Wissner-Gross says, the original Sunday Times article citing his research did not accurately represent his study.
He further noted that he has “no idea” where the tea-kettle analogy came from. It’s not his, Wissner-Gross says.
You can find further details of the whole Google-icious mixup at TechNewsWorld.
Moral of the story? It’s probably best not to cite unpublished studies without actually reading them first.
Posted by Greenbang on January 12th, 2009
While news stories abound about IT’s growing environmental footprint, geeks everywhere are abuzz today about a Google-centered eco-controversy. The brouhaha centers on one query: how much carbon dioxide does your typical Google search generate?
According to Harvard University Alex Wissner-Gross, each Google search is responsible for 7 grams of carbon emissions. To put that in less virtual terms, he suggests every two searches generate as much carbon dioxide as it does to boil a kettle of water for tea.
Or does it? The wags at The Register skewer Wissner-Gross’s yet-to-be published research, hauling out a host of objections. First, they argue, bringing a kettle to boiling produces between 50 and 60 grams of carbon dioxide, not the 15 grams cited by Wissner-Gross. Next, they point out, it should be noted that Wissner-Gross stands to benefit from the marketing of carbon offsets (in addition to his Harvard post, he’s CTO of CO2Stats, whose slogan is “making Websites green”).
The Register then moves on to identify a culprit far worse than Google searches: the daily output of methane — a far more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide — caused by, no, not cows, but humans breaking wind.
Wait, where did this all start? Oh right, Google’s carbon footprint per search.
Not surprisingly, Google also takes Wissner-Gross’s research to task, arguing that its energy-efficient data centers generate just 0.2 grams of carbon dioxide per search, meaning it would take 1000 Google searches to equal the emissions of a car driven for one kilometer.
Head spinning yet? Mine is. Tea-time, anyone?
Posted by Greenbang on December 8th, 2008
Virtual computer networks can do more than help in the search for little green men or aid in humanitarian-focused research. IBM and Harvard University are hoping to tap the power of virtual networks to develop a cheap yet effective plastic solar cell.
Harvard’s Clean Energy Project will use IBM’s World Community Grid to create a “virtual laboratory” to design and test new molecular materials that could be made into solar cells. The idea is to harness the computing power of idle desktops and laptops around the world, and test new solar materials using computational chemistry rather than in-the-lab chemistry.
The World Community Grid is already being used for other projects, including Nutritious Rice for the World, Help Conquer Cancer and Developing Dengue Drugs — Together. Computer owners who participate in the grid install a small program that performs project-based calculations when the computer isn’t being used for other tasks.
A similar grid effort is also being used in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or SETI.
While scientists already know how to create organic plastic solar cells, the technology isn’t yet efficient enough to make it commercially viable. If an effective material can be developed, though, it could provide a less expensive and easier-to-manufacture alternative to today’s silicon-based photovoltaics.
Just think: your computer could help in the quest, and all it might take is for you to let your screen go idle a bit and play a few less rounds of Solitaire or online Sudoku.
Posted by Greenbang on December 5th, 2008
There’s a lot of buzz in the IT industry at the moment about ‘desktop virtualisation’, which is predicted to boom next year because virtual desktops can help businesses cater better for home and remote workers, improve security and are cheap to deploy and maintain. They can also cut the carbon footprint of a traditional PC desktop environment.
Desktop virtualisation is the hosting of virtual computers on a central machine or data centre. The ‘desktop’ and all its applications are then streamed to all the PCs on the network. Nothing resides on the actual physical desktop and and all the data input by the user is sent back to the central machine.
The big players in this market are VMware, Citrix and IBM but one smaler new product caught Greenbang’s eye this week, with Nebulas Solutions is touting the Pano virtual desktop cube (pictured).
The shiny, silver Pano cube connects keyboard, mouse, display, audio and USB peripherals over an existing IP network to a virtualised server - meaning the unit itself has no memory or operating system. Nebulas Solutions claims the total cost of ownership of the virtual desktop cube could be up to 70 per cent less than a traditionanl PC over three years, and as it consumes only three per cent of the power used by a PC it will also cut electricity bills.
The Pano relies on a virtualised server infrastructure and can be managed from a central point either by an in-house IT team, a data centre or remotely - meaning desktops can be upgraded and installed centrally. On the security front if the cube is stolen the device itself holds no local data, applications or files.
Posted by Greenbang on November 25th, 2008
Apple, Dell, Lenovo, LG, Microsoft and Samsung are among the big name tech and gadget companies slammed by Greenpeace for failing to make the big cuts in their own emissions needed to tackle climate change.
Of the 18 big technology companies ranked in Greenpeace’s latest ‘Guide to Greener Electronics’, only Fujitsu Siemens, Philips and Sharp show full support for emissions cuts of 30 per cent for industrial nations by 2020, while only HP and Philips have made commitments to make substantial cuts in their own emissions.
The guide ranks the top IT and electronics firms on policies and practices on toxic chemicals, recycling and energy.
Taking into account all criteria in the guide - not just emissions - Nokia remains top, Toshiba moves up to third and Sharp and Motorola make big jumps up the ranking.
But it’s a thumbs down for the big computer companies, including Dell, HP, Apple and Acer, who fall down the rankings. Although it should be pointed out that while Apple drops a place, it improves its overall score slightly to 4.3, with much better reporting on the carbon footprint of its products. Apple has also recently committed to removing the worst toxics substances from the new range of iPods.
It’s also a thumbs down for Philips, which despite being a leader on energy, still scores abysmally on e-waste, and is actually still lobbying against progressive legislation to tackle the e-waste problem.
Greenpeace’s climate and energy campaigner Mel Francis says:
“It is disappointing that such innovative and fast-changing companies are moving so slowly, when they could be turning the regulation we need on global emissions into a golden business opportunity.”
Posted by Greenbang on November 13th, 2008
Computer company Fujitsu Siemens is going to start slapping a big, fat ‘green’ label on all its products that are more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
Fujitsu Siemens says the ‘Green IT’ label (pictured) will help flag up the green credentials of its computer products for customers.
The new green IT label appears on products manufactured from November 2008 and uses a three-tier system – ranging from one star through to the highest, three-star accolade.
Fujitsu says the three-star label recognises products that exceed current green IT legislation around material, recycling and power consumption.
For example, a three-star business PC must use halogen-free material, its manuals must be made from chlorine-free paper, disassembly must be possible by a single person using commonly available tools, and all plastic components weighing more than 25g must be marked according to the ISO 11469:2000 standard, for easier identification when recycling.
It’s admirable that Fujitsu Siemens is aiming to introduce some transparency around the use of ‘green tags’ for IT products but if every technology company goes down this route it’s not hard to see what a complete mess that’s going to be and how much more confusing it will be for businesses and consumers – just look at the whole row around food labelling as an example.
So why has Fujitsu gone down this route? The company says it couldn’t find a suitable partner “whose criteria were as far-reaching as we were hoping for, and who could create the label in the timeframe we had set ourselves”.
The company says industry partners are welcome to join its programme and adds a caveat that it would be happy to adopt a suitable industry-standard green IT labellling system if one is introduced in the future.
Fujitsu Siemens chief technology officer Dr Joseph Reger said:
“We reviewed and rated all existing eco-labelling systems but found that they were not far-reaching or stringent enough for our needs.”
What this really needs is co-operation across the IT industry to introduce transparent green IT labelling, but Greenbang’s not holding its breath.
Posted by Petah Marian on October 15th, 2008
Twice a year, a clergy of geeks flock to the church of Apple. Even the tech press are immune to the power of Steve Jobs - bowing down to the latest Jonathan Ive design.
Those white sleek lines, the user friendliness, the fact that brandishing a bit of Apple kit in public just makes you that little bit cooler than everyone else. Greenbang understands you, Apple fanboys and girls.
Last year, that Apple status symbol carried a high environmental cost. Greenpeace ranked Apple last for environmental friendliness amongst a comparison of the major electronics manufacturers. But it seems Apple has taken those criticisms on board and has upped its environmental ante with its new range of MacBook laptops.
At the launch yesterday Apple CEO Steve Jobs said:
“Apple has invented a whole new way of building notebooks from a single block of aluminium. And, just as important, they are the industry’s greenest notebooks.”
Apple is clearly trying to change its environmental reputation with details of its green credentials now slapped all over its website.
The new MacBook uses arsenic-free glass, is PVC-free, brominated flame retardant-free, mercury-free, is made of highly recyclable aluminium and glass enclosures and has 41 per cent smaller packaging.
Apple claims that control over the entire production process has allowed it to create smarter products that use less electricity, with the new MacBook using one quarter of the power of a single light bulb.
The laptop has also earned an Electronic Product Environmental Assessment (EPEAT) ‘Gold’ rating. The EPEAT tool evaluates the environmental impact based on how recyclable it is, how much energy it uses and how it’s designed. The new MacBooks also received Energy Star certification.
You can find out more from Apple here.
Beautiful as the new MacBooks look (though we’re not sure about that shiny glass screen), Greenbang has to point out that there isn’t really any such thing as a ‘green’ laptop. Yes, the new MacBooks might be more energy efficient and less environmentally damaging than most other new laptops but there will always be some sort of footprint for laptops, PCs, gadgets and other IT kit. And that’s due to our insatiable demand for the latest shiny, shiny new thing…
Posted by Greenbang on October 14th, 2008
Xerox is the latest tech company to jump on the ‘green printing’ bandwagon with the launch of a ‘Responsible printing doesn’t cost the Earth’ campaign.
The campaign includes ‘green’ incentives for every Xerox Phaser 8560 solid ink printer - a 75 per cent discount on the double-sided (duplex) printing option; free GreenPrint software, which eliminates waste before printing, and a ream of Xerox’s recycled paper. The offer runs to 31st December 2008.
Xerox has also teamed up with The Nature Conservancy and will plant 50 trees in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest for every GreenPrint software download.
Darren Cassidy, director and general manager of the office group for Xerox UK, said:
“To visualise what we’re doing: we’ll be adding about two and a half tennis courts in reforestation with every Phaser 8560 printer with GreenPrint that we sell.”
Miguel Calmon of The Nature Conservancy, added:
“Brazil’s Atlantic Forest is one of the most endangered ecosystems on the earth; it’s now down to seven per cent of its original size. Partnerships are the cornerstone of forest conservation, and Xerox has been a real leader in this area, providing support to advance our conservation initiatives and bring back this important forest.”
Posted by Greenbang on September 25th, 2008
As every vendor and his dog has jumped on the green IT bandwagon in the last couple of years the industry has been flooded with all manner of energy and carbon footprint calculators claiming to be able to make datacentres and corporate IT infrastructures more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
Another one has been launched this week by a company called Migration Solutions, which is touting its Environmental Report and Audit service for datacentres. Initially our reaction at Greenbang was a resounding ’so what’, wondering only why they were so late to get on the bandwagon.
But we had a chat with the company’s MD Alex Rabbets who, while not saying anything startlingly new, still talked a lot of sense.
The company’s datacentre audit service costs £2,500, takes about three or four hours to conduct on-site and covers about 100 points in the datacentre from obvious ones such as power, cooling and layout to less obvious ones such as processes and policies. This is all then benchmarked against other companies and an action plan produced to help improve both their green credentials and, more importantly, save money.
Product pitch over, Rabbetts is honest about why companies are using services like this, saying a few basic things can cut 10 to 15 per cent off datacentre energy costs. He says:
“It’s always about cost. We have never had anyone come to us purely for environmental reasons. It does help them to tick the CSR box. There’s no such thing as a green datacentre but anything people can do to improve environmental efficiency is a good thing.”
So what kinds of things has this data centre energy audit service found out in the real world?
“We did an audit on a co-lo company recently. We discovered that although they had got hot and cold aisles, some customer equipment was installed the wrong way around so some kit was blowing hot air into cold aisles and vice versa. By turning the kit around they were able to make significant savings.”
But it’s not always technical stuff. Another customer saved 10 per cent off one quarter’s data centre electricity costs by clearing up cardboard that was piled up in a corner clogging up fans.
Check out the ERA for yourself here.
