Dimension Data announced today the launch of its Office Sustainability Services (the ‘Services’), a suite of four service modules designed to provide office-based organisations with an integrated information and communications technology (ICT) approach to developing and executing greenhouse gas emission reduction initiatives.

Dimension Data will assist organisations to identify opportunities and develop a plan to optimise energy and materials use in their office operations, based on the organisation’s overall corporate strategy to reduce its environmental impact. The four key modules making up the Services are: Accounting and Reporting; Stakeholder Engagement; Opportunity Analysis; and Emissions Reduction.

“While Australia’s new National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting System requires our largest emitters of greenhouse gases to monitor and measure their emissions with a view to introducing reduction programs, there is pressure on all organisations, regardless of the size of emission levels, to take steps to reduce their impact on climate change,” said Gerard Florian, chief technology officer, Dimension Data.

“For an office-based organisation, its ICT infrastructure is a significant contributor to its greenhouse gas emissions, and a number of our clients in this space have approached us asking how they can respond to pressure from their executive to reduce waste and cut energy use.”

As well as addressing a need amongst Dimension Data’s client base, the Services were also developed from the company’s own experience in responding to the measurement and reporting requirements of the Carbon Disclosure Project, an international not-for-profit organisation for institutional investors seeking information on the business risks and opportunities presented by climate change and greenhouse gas emissions data from the world's largest companies.

“This year, Dimension Data completed its submission to the Carbon Disclosure Project for the first time, and we had to start from the fundamentals: first, who do we need to engage with in the business, what do we measure and how do we go about doing it accurately? Then, once we have these figures, how do we monitor this so that we can track the impact of any emission reduction programs we put in place?”

Three key areas were quickly identified as significant contributors to Dimension Data’s greenhouse gas emissions: energy consumption, staff travel and waste. In all three, IT has a significant role to play.

“In the process we realised that our operational profile, and our experience in developing a sustainability program, was very similar to many other organisations that are largely office-based ones,” explains Mr Florian.

“Now, many IT departments are being asked to include ‘green’ metrics or benefits in addition to the traditional ROI-style statistics used to gauge the success of projects undertaken. If these green aspects are taking into consideration during the initial analysis and planning phase of a project, not only does this provide a greater level of justification for project funding, it also provides measurable outcomes that benefit the organisation as a whole in its effort to reduce its impact on climate change.”

-ENDS-

About Dimension Data

Dimension Data plc (LSE:DDT), a specialist IT services and solution provider, helps clients plan, build, support and manage their IT infrastructures. Dimension Data applies its expertise in networking, security, operating environments, storage and contact centre technologies and its unique skills in consulting, integration and managed services to create customised client solutions.

For further information:

Helen Han

Dimension Data

Tel: 02 8249 5684

email: helen.han@didata.com.au