It’s a constant question thrown at me – is Green off the radar screen, has it gone away? The truth is somewhat different from my vantage point. There certainly isn’t the hype or the chatter that started a couple of years ago and of course the debacle in Copenhagen in December really set the regulatory and legislative process back significantly.
Our clients, much like Dimension Data/Datacraft have not shifted on their commitment to an environmental agenda. I think, for many organizations, there is the threat of greater environmental regulation that will come at some point no matter which region they’re in. Then of course, we’re all thinking about our clients and our brand and how an environmental agenda may impact our bottom line.
The landscape has shifted, there is absolutely no doubt. Taking out the science and the skeptics and for a moment, set aside the tragedy that has recently unfolded in Pakistan with unprecedented flooding and in Russia with the droughts.
Let’s shift our attention – purely the business reality is that an environmental agenda can and does help your bottom line. The shift has been from risk management and ensuring the organization had a licence to operate to a position of how do we actively leverage the environmental arena, to create opportunities for the business.
We have recently announced the winners to a Green Competition we held this year entitled, “Making Green from Green”. For me, the most startling and refreshing result of the competition is the level of creativity and innovation we have uncovered across every one of the proposals that came from across the regions.
From managed service offerings to waste management solutions and even an intriguing proposal on linking lifecycle emissions of products to reforestation – really fascinating. What is so obvious to me is the number of opportunities out there, if we are prepared to build out some of these offerings and put some resources and funding behind them.
I have no doubt that the client interest is and will be great and that as a business we will absolutely get an outstanding ROI sooner than we imagine. But building out services will take time and planning and correct incorporation into our business; training and marketing and of course the really key ownership and direction. So, watch this space!
Even though this was a competition clearly addressing commercial opportunities for Dimension Data/Datacraft, it was perhaps the most telling feedback that has nothing to do with a go-to-market strategy but rather an email I received from one of the finalists: “I’ve learned so much about the cause and scope of CO2 because of this contest, that it has changed how my family and I live.” This ultimately is a sign of a successful campaign – much more than dollars but actually something making a real difference and something we can be proud of.
Merle Singer is responsible for defining and developing the strategy and execution of Dimension Data’s environmental sustainability program, encompassing internal staff engagement, licence to operate, and go-to-market offerings. Outside of her Dimension Data life, Merle says she is ‘obsessive’ about yoga, and very interested in the esoteric.
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