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feature green broadcasting

Feature sponsored by Harris

As a famous frog named Kermit once sang on the children’s television programme The Muppet Show: “It’s not easy bein’ green!” He could have gone one step further down the path of introspection and asked: what does ‘being green’ truly mean? Especially for a broadcast manufacturer, once policy and politics are put to one side. Ciarán Doran, senior marketing manager for Harris Broadcast Communications in Europe, Middle East and Africa, ponders the question.

It’s not easy

being green

environmental impact of broadcasting is significant and is only starting to be fully recognised. As a result, the broadcast industry will see great changes as environmental concerns take the front stage. With an increasing number of customers examining the green credentials of their suppliers as a core part of their decision-making process,

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environmental consciousness is set to become the new buzzword of the broadcast industry in the next few years. Following in the footsteps of other manufacturers in industries like IT, broadcast manufacturers must now truly embrace the concept of sustainability and what it means for their business - or risk losing their place in the race.

What defines the green agenda?

Sustainability is more than just recycling, using less energy and asking staff to cycle to work. The

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irst and foremost, being ‘green’ is about taking responsibility for the impact of the company’s activities on the planet and our environment. The

Ciarán Doran, senior marketing manager for Harris Broadcast

Communications in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

concept of sustainability had already been defined in 1987 in the Brundtland Report as ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’. For a business to pursue both profitability and sustainability, it must focus on driving a sustainable corporate strategy which meets stakeholders’ needs without compromising the future. The key to a truly successful sustainability programme is not to jump on the tree-hugging bandwagon as a knee- jerk reaction. Manufacturers must carefully examine what’s in it for them, for their customers and for the environment.

The hype surrounding the green agenda in all walks of life over the last 20 years has made it increasingly difficult to see through the fog of marketing claims and compelling taglines. Who’s green from the roots up and who’s just given their corporate logo a rapid makeover with shiny green, lead-based paint to tap into the eco-friendly dollar? The answer lies somewhere in the middle: this is a complex challenge for any company, and nobody goes green overnight. Rather, it’s a sustained and

measurable process over a number of core areas that will give a company true green credentials. Claims of environmental consciousness need to stand up to scrutiny, and any company claiming to drive a green agenda must truly be able to back up their claims with solid facts. As a major player in the broadcast industry worldwide, Harris takes this responsibility seriously and has implemented sustainable business practices across its global operations. Environmental watchdogs have recognised the Harris commitment to sustainability and, since 2003, the company has been listed on the FTSE4Good index, which measures five areas of social responsibility including environmental sustainability. Sustainable business practices are also closely examined by the Ethisphere Institute, which listed Harris as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2009 - positioning it in 99th place of the 10,000 who made the list. In essence, a company’s tangible commitment to sustainability should be visible in a wide number of areas: improving operational efficiency, promoting a safe and environmentally responsible workplace, encouraging supply chain partners to support sustainability objectives and improving the eco-efficiency of products, whilst maintaining high standards of quality.

Eco-friendly products

For manufacturers, the continuous improvement of products should be at the heart of any sustainability programme. Regulatory directives such as RoHS, WEEE and REACH, which aim at reducing the environmental impact of technology, will of course weigh heavily in this equation. The greater focus, however, should be on helping broadcasters achieve their Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48
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