Environmental Sustainability
“Going green” is a hot issue in retail today and many retailers are getting in on the action. Increasingly, pro-active environmental management can reduce risk, create opportunities and raise the green profile of retail organisations. Due to the increasing requirements of regulatory compliance, most initiatives in this area have been the result of reactive needs as opposed to a proactive approach to the issue.
The ISO 14000 environmental management standards exist to help organizations minimize how their operations negatively affect the environment (cause adverse changes to air, water, or land), comply with applicable laws, regulations, and other environmentally oriented requirements, and continually improve on the above.
Microsoft works toward environmental sustainability through software products, which can significantly reduce the energy consumption of computer hardware systems and can also reduce the need for business travel.
According to the EPA, use of the power management features in Windows XP and Windows 2000 can decrease computer energy consumption by more than 50 percent. In Windows Vista, a new sleep mode combines the speed and low power of standby with the data-protection features of hibernation, giving users the best of both.
Collaboration products such as Live Meeting, Sharepoint and Groove are designed to enhance business productivity and to reduce the need for business travel and the physical transfer of documents, thereby helping to lower greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts of businesses.
Devices running Microsoft Windows Mobile enable remote access to e-mail and the Internet, and they require less energy than a standard laptop or desktop computer.
Microsoft Dynamics is a line of financial, customer relationship and supply chain management solutions that helps businesses work more effectively. The Microsoft Dynamics Environmental Sustainability Snap add-in enables customers to implement an environmental dashboard on top of Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies and Microsoft Dynamics.
Links:
Driving environmental sustainability practices with Microsoft Dynamics
Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability