of servers and signifi cantly increase the operating effi ciency of the remaining servers and storage devices. “The ancillary energy needs for
cooling, lighting and switch ports are also reduced. This can double the power and carbon reduction.”
Infrastructure At the network infrastructure level too, the choice of products can add to the carbon footprint reduction. According to Miller, “Even though
the carbon footprint of a cabling network is relatively small compared to the megawatt energy consumption of data centres, it makes sense to apply carbon footprint reduction principles. “A structured cabling network can
use 50 kilometres of copper/polymer based cables. The smaller diameter Cat 6A Zone cable we developed reduces the carbon footprint by 25 percent and enables 50 percent more cable per lorry.”
Higher density products tend to have
lower materials and production energy usage as well as using less real-estate.
Tips for Manufacturers What sort of things should manufacturers be doing to improve their carbon footprint? Both Camco’s Prosser, and Carbon Clear’s Lowe agree that manufacturers must analyze their company’s entire energy usage and carbon footprint and then work on and be able to demonstrate signifi cant reductions in various areas. “There is always ‘low hanging
fruit’ in terms of easy to implement energy/ carbon footprint reductions,” explained Prosser. “Once a company has identifi ed the high energy consumers, then quick energy reductions are often really easy.” Identifying machinery and IT
equipment which is left running when not in use can frequently lead to an instant energy reduction. “In one company we helped, they reduced their energy usage by 37 percent just by addressing people’s behaviour,” commented Lowe from Carbon Clear. “Which company wouldn’t want to reduce its energy spend by over a third just by teaching people what to switch off, when and how?”
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Miller, the man in charge of carbon
footprint reduction at Brand-Rex explained that, by measuring and understanding where the energy is used, his company has made signifi cant carbon reductions and energy cost reductions by changing from fuel oil to gas, introducing natural light into the factory, and installing automatic lighting control. Packaging is also a major element
according to Miller. “We’ve switched from bleached white cardboard to unbleached, which takes out a production process and its energy and chemicals usage. It also makes the packaging easier to recycle,” Miller explained. “We’ve worked really hard to squeeze carbon out of every element of all our operations and products globally.”
Are they telling fi bs? It is tempting for some companies to use publicity techniques to make themselves look ‘greener’ than they really are. So how can you tell who’s telling the truth? “It really comes down to
transparency”, according to Camco’s Prosser. “If they are really working on their carbon footprint then they will have had their analysis done according to one of the recognised standards and then verifi ed by a third party.” Carbon Clear’s Andy Lowe agrees
entirely. “Any manufacturer taking their green credentials seriously should provide you with their carbon footprint analysis. Even better, they might participate in the Carbon Disclosure Project website.”
Here are the questions that you need to ask: • Has the company accounted for all of its locations globally?
• Has it included all energy/ emission types?
• Has it accounted for all staff travel including air travel?
• Has the company reduced its carbon footprint by outsourcing things like lorry fl eet and data centre, but then ‘forgeting’ to report secondary emissions from these activities?
• If the company is claiming to be ‘carbon neutral’, has it done so against the new PAS 2060 standard?
NETCOMMS europe Volume II Issue 3 2012 33 What is meant by ‘Carbon?’
Carbon reduction is not all about one material. It relates to multiple greenhouse gas emissions.
• The term ‘Carbon’ covers a range of Greenhouse gases: Carbon Dioxide (C02); Methane (CH4), Nitrous Oxide (N2O), Hydrofl uorcarbons (HFCs); HydroChlorofl uorocarbons (HCFCs); Perfl uorocarbons (PFCs) and Sulphur Hexafl uoride (SF6) to cover the majority.
• Each of these materials can react with the atmosphere in different ways, and some have a more damaging effect than others. In order for us to relate to a single fi gure, a factor called Global Warming Potential (GWP) is used to normalise the measurement.
• For example Methane’s GWP is 25, so it is 25 times more harmful than C02. This factor is used to produce a carbon footprint result in units of C02e. The ‘e’ is for ‘equivalent’, which builds in the greenhouse gases, their GWP and allows a common unit in measurement.
Holistic Approach “Once you start on understanding your carbon footprint and energy usage, it becomes compelling to apply the principles up the supply chain,” says Brand-Rex’s Director of Supply Chain, Ian Wilkie. “In our case, right back to where the base materials are extracted from the ground. “Once a company understands
how analysing its carbon footprint can lead to massive cost reductions they shouldn’t need any further persuading to go greener and greener,” concluded Carbon Clear’s Andy Lowe. “The profi t and loss account will give them all the motivation they need.” Surprisingly, a lot of companies, both
network manufacturers and network users, are yet to catch on. So check your suppliers carefully!
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