TESCO HAS introduced wind-powered stores in Europe, California-based Google is a pioneer in energy-efficient data centres and all manufacturing plants of Japanese car maker Subaru maintain zero waste emissions. These are just three examples of the green revolution sweeping the globe. India is finally waking up to the importance of adopting sustainable practices. The concept is still alien to a majority of companies here, but some players stand out in their fledgling efforts.
Consider the Print Manager software created by Tata Teleservices (TTSL) in 2009. The moment an employee clicks ‘print’, a message pops up on the screen detailing the environmental impact of taking that printout, from the amount of water and energy consumed to trees cut and the carbon footprint. As a result, TTSL has reduced the volume of printouts by 73%. “There was no formal training or communication. The employees realised the benefits themselves and the results followed,” says Shirish Munj, senior vice president (head IT), TTSL.
In addition, the company does not hesitate to borrow smart practices from others. For instance, ITC Hotels inspired TTSL to use bio-blocks in the toilets to save water. These measures, along with common practices like raising air-conditioning temperature across all its offices by three degrees to 27°C, have saved nearly Rs 150 crore in fiscal 2010 alone.
These days, Munj and his team are working on an indicator that will measure the energy wasted by unused applications on employees’ computers. This software would complement an existing application that automatically shuts down all desktops at 9.30 pm.
TTSL is also trying to give the entire Rs 3.15 lakh crore Tata group a green character. Print Manager is being shared across all group companies. Soon, it will be offered free of cost to its enterprise customers. And TTSL earns goodwill for free.
