When thinking of “green IT”, images will usually spring to mind of how the IT department can reduce its own emissions. Yet managers can do far more than just cut their own emissions – they are excellently placed to help increase the environmentally friendly credentials of the whole organisation.

The IT department can implement controls to reduce other departments’ emissions directly, whether by remotely ensuring that lights are turned off at night or making sure the whole company uses an efficient IT infrastructure. It can also aid other, more visible areas such as manufacturing, storage or transport. By using its computing savvy to aid with scheduling, stock monitoring and other logistics, IT can have an effect on organisational emissions far outside its own data centre.