Sustainability is emerging as the most critical imperative for companies the world over.
The latest UN Report on climate change indicates that harmful carbon emissions from 2010-2019 have never been higher in human history.
The study points to these findings as proof that the world is on a fast track to disaster, and that we all have to act “now or never” to limit global warming.
Prudence Maleka, end user computing product specialist at Datacentrix.
The responsibility for acting lies with all of us, says Prudence Maleka, end user computing product specialist at Datacentrix. “Environmental sustainability is an important concern for everyone. That goes for individuals who want to make minor lifestyle changes all the way up to large corporations with the resources and clout to directly address the issue.”
This is because everything we require for our existence and well-being is either directly or indirectly dependent on our natural environment, she adds. “Sustainability establishes and maintains conditions that allow humans and nature to co-exist in productive peace, allowing present and future generations to meet their social, economic, and other needs.
“To ensure that we have and will continue to have enough water, materials, and resources to maintain human health and the environment, sustainability is critical.”
Datacentrix has taken the challenge seriously, launching various initiatives to implement sustainability in the IT workplace.
As part of this commitment, it has signed up to the HP Amplify Impact Partner Programme. “This is to demonstrate that we share the same values and believe in the notion that a corporation’s mission is more than only generating profits,” Maleka explains.
“We devote time to educate personnel and reinforce the value of environmental stewardship. We also share the organisation’s initiatives to save resources as well as preserving the planet.
When it comes to climate change, Datacentrix aspires to live in a world without waste,” Maleka says. “From supply chain and operations to technology and service offerings, we’re rethinking our entire business for a circular, low-carbon economy and minimising e-waste.
“We’re transitioning from ‘taking, making and discarding’ to ‘taking, making and reusing’ – where people would only use what they require.”
Implementing sustainable business practices is good for the planet – and it also helps business to perform better financially by lowering expenses, enhancing their reputation, and gaining a competitive advantage. “It also has a good impact on the communities we serve,” Maleka says. “We’ve discovered that businesses which promote social and environmental issues have a higher level of customer loyalty.”
Technology has a role to play in driving better environment practices, Maleka adds. “Device-as-a-service (DaaS) is a great illustration of this. HP has designed a framework that allows individuals to consume services around their preferred devices and simply being able to reuse them, making it more sustainable for everyone.
“Datacentrix offers this service in partnership with HP to our customers.”
Using HP products is more sustainable too, she points. “Customers can be assured of sustainability at every stage of the product lifecycle. HP products and services are designed to keep materials in use longer, ensuring that customers extract their greatest possible values for a longer length of time.
“This includes everything from the start of their life until the conclusion of use, including service and maintenance. HP encourages this through its devices and services which make it easier to repair, maintain, and upgrade items.”
And the products are more environmentally-friendly than ever before. “HP’s diverse sustainable product line includes laptops, printers, and other low-impact items ranging from high-energy efficiency to hardware manufactured from recycled ocean-bound plastics,” Maleka says.
As an example, the HP Elite Dragonfly Powered by Intel Evo and vPro is one of the first notebooks to use ocean-bound plastics in its manufacture; and HP Elite displays have shown great improvement in terms of energy efficiency.”
HP claims to have the world’s most sustainable PC portfolio, and is based on the criteria set out by EPEAT – the most comprehensive, measurable, and transparent eco-label in the IT industry.
Administered by the Green Electronics Council, the EPEAT program provides independent verification of a manufacturer’s products based on sustainability criteria, including product energy efficiency, recycled materials usage, product longevity, design for product end of life, and product packaging.
HP currently has 38 Gold and 268 Silver EPEAT-registered products.
In addition, the company’s Design for Sustainability program finds innovative ways to increase the amount and type of recycled materials in its products, with the goal of using 30% recycled plastic across the Personal Systems and Print portfolio by 2025.
With HP products, sustainability meets eye-catching design and top-notch performance with built-in security. Laptops in the HP Elite Dragonfly series powered by Intel come in at under 1kg, providing mobility beyond expectation in an x360 touch laptop.
“While HP ensures product sustainability before, during, and after use of product, as a reseller Datacentrix strives to reduce the environmental impact of the items we sell by purchasing and reselling products that contain recycled content and use less energy for the sake of our planet.”
Maleka concludes: “I can safely say, that taking on the HP Amplify Impact commitment was one of the best decisions Datacentrix ever made.
“The program enables us to design and implement sustainability policies that benefit the environment, people, and communities. We’re constantly working to put our sustainability strategy into action so that we can build a better world together with HP.”
Sustainability with HP
HP takes sustainability very seriously, with its 2030 Vision outlining how it intends to become the world’s most sustainable and just technology company over the next few years.
“At this moment in history, and from this point forward, companies will be judged by more than the profits they generate. They will be measured by the value they create for society,” says Enrique Lores, president and CEO of HP Inc.
The company is driving towards a net zero carbon, fully regenerative economy while engineering the industry’s most sustainable portfolio of products and solutions.
“We plan to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across the HP value chain by 2040, with a 50% reduction by the end of this decade,” Lores says. “We pledge to reach 75% circularity for products and packaging by 2030.
“And we are committed to maintaining zero deforestation for HP paper and paper-based packaging and counteracting deforestation for non-HP paper used in our products and print services.”
Extending the challenge to its partners, HP has set up the HP Amplify Impact Partner Programme that offers assessment, resource, and training to give partners that opportunity to join HP in its efforts to generate meaningful impact.
Learn more at https://www.datacentrix.co.za/end-user-computing.html.
About HP Inc
HP Inc is a technology company that believes one thoughtful idea has the power to change the world. Its product and service portfolio of personal systems, printers, and 3D printing solutions helps bring these ideas to life.
Visit http://www.hp.com.
About Datacentrix
Datacentrix is a leading hybrid IT systems integrator and managed services provider that enables digitalisation success.
Our expert teams leverage the power of ICT technologies to connect, transform, optimise, and future-proof business, supporting clients throughout their digital journey.
Datacentrix offers deep technical expertise across a mature offering and provides proven execution capability that is endorsed by the world’s foremost technology partners. With a strong African footprint, the company is recognised for its agility, in-depth industry knowledge, ethical practices, and strong overall performance.
The company is a Level One (AAA) B-BBEE Contributor, with 135 percent procurement recognition.
For more information, please visit www.datacentrix.co.za.