Green around the edges

Despite these assurances from government, Johnston notes environmental issues are still a bit of an “orphan” among local businesses.

According to James, local businesses do not see sustainability, green IT, and related concerns as strategic issues. From an IT perspective, he says, the fundamental problem is measurement and KPIs.

Macro level in terms of business strategy

“This blinkered approach is often mirrored at a macro level in terms of business strategy and senior management give higher priority to other focus areas,” James explains.

Johnson, who deals with the top 177 companies in SA, including the public sector, says: “I've been speaking to them about sustainable IT â€" getting the IT house in order â€" and IT for sustainability â€" using IT to help reduce carbon in the business for a few years.

He adds while there's a massive role for technology â€" which can create systems to measure, analyse and report, and do modelling â€" these concepts need to be sold to business, as it provides the funding.

Massive disconnect just about everywhere to business

“IT has a massive disconnect just about everywhere to business, and thus is not thinking about how to use IT to proactively help business reduce its overall carbon footprint â€" and business does not seem that interested either.”

The message Johnson gets back from IT is that until it's legislated in SA, with large enough fines and rewards, business is not going to do much about it.