IT industry holds the key to meeting the 2020 UN Climate Change challenge, says Atos Origin

The IT Industry could reduce 98 per cent of carbon emissions in industrialised and developing nations

Paris, At the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (7th December), the pressure on companies to reduce carbon emissions will undoubtedly increase.

Studies show that IT accounts for about two per cent of total CO2 emissions globally but by employing the industry’s skills, resources and technologies, it can reduce the remaining 98 per cent of carbon emissions in industrialised and developing nations. Through affecting a behavioural change in both people and organisations, Atos Origin believes that the IT industry can enable substantial energy savings across all sectors.

According to GeSI, the Global e-Sustainability Initiative, by working together, the Information Communication Technology sector could deliver carbon savings five times larger than the total emissions from the entire ICT sector in 2020.

“IT has a key role to play in helping organisations across all market sectors to save energy, minimise use of natural resources and reduce carbon emissions”, says Atos Origin. “The IT industry must work together with all other industries to identify and enable energy efficiencies so that together we can meet the 2020 targets.”

“The IT industry needs to take more action both internally and externally to improve its own credentials. The IT industry must work together to identify how changes can be implemented in a timely way to reduce its overall impact on the environment and lead by example.”

Atos Origin has developed a whitepaper that argues the IT industry must begin planning a strategy to tackle sustainability now and developing the necessary services and solutions to transform how businesses, value chains, networks and society as a whole operate.

In the whitepaper, the team provides advice for companies on how to successfully save energy while delivering tangible ROI and business benefits through methods such as smart metering, E-paper and command and control systems. Through exploring the role of technology, organisations can adopt more sustainable operations and communications.

If you would like to speak with an Atos Origin expert about the issues discussed or receive a copy of the whitepaper, please contact:

Emilie Moreau
Atos Origin
Email: emilie.moreau@atosorigin.com
Phone: +33 1 55 91 24 74

Atos Origin is an international IT services company with significant experience in delivering sustainable consulting, systems integration and managed operations services. Atos Origin is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic Games and is working to make Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 the sustainable Olympic Games. ERDF, a subsidiary of EDF and the largest electricity distribution network in the European Union, selected Atos Origin as architect for the information system and lead manager of the consortium of technology firms to replace 35 million electricity meters in France. Atos Origin also developed an innovative paperless tickets solution delivered via mobile phone for Air France. The UK Highways Agency outsourced its IT infrastructure to Atos Origin, resulting in annual savings of £4m and reduced carbon emissions of 50 per cent.

About Atos Origin
Atos Origin is a leading international information technology (IT) services company, providing hi-tech transactional services, consulting, systems integration and managed operations to deliver business outcomes globally. The company’s annual revenues are EUR 5.5 billion and it employs 50,000 people. Atos Origin is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic Games and has a client base of international companies across all sectors. Atos Origin is quoted on the Paris Eurolist Market and trades as Atos Origin, Atos Worldline and Atos Consulting.