January saw the launch of the ICT and Sustainability Forum at the European Parliament.
The Forum has been set up to foster debate about the ICT (information and communication technology) sector’s contribution to sustainable development. It follows last year’s foundation of a new ‘ICT Platform’ to promote companies activities in the sustainability field with EU institutions. The Platform was set up by HP, Intel, the Swedish ICT association and Sun.
HP is at the forefront of this initiative to create a more collaborative relationship with the EU and to promote the work that many companies are already doing in this area. Often legislators are not aware of the sustainability work being carried out.
“The ICT sector has a unique role in helping deliver sustainable development,” said HP’s John Frey, Manager, Corporate Environmental Strategies, “primarily through more efficient use of energy and materials. “The work of the Forum will not only benefit the ICT sector but it should also play an important role in assisting other key sectors in doing the same.“
Panel discussion
The debate, ‘ICT: A Sustainable Development Driver’, was hosted by Swedish MEP and subject expert Anders Wijkman. HP’s John Frey took part in a 90-minute panel discussion.
“Companies like HP have tremendous experience in these areas that we believe can be an essential part of the solution,” said John. “While we seek to manage and limit our impact on the environment, we also deliver capacity and solutions to policy dilemmas associated with applying sustainable development.
“We want to work hand-in-hand with stakeholders relevant to the sustainable development discussion. This is one of the main reasons the ICT and Sustainability Forum was set up. The Forum should be a vehicle for dialogue and mutual information sharing. Our view is that this will enhance the efficacy of policy emanating from the EU sustainable development strategy. We invite European companies to join us.”
Opinion leaders
One of the key aims of the Forum is to harness the potential of the ICT sector to assist the EU in implanting both the European Sustainable Development Strategy and the Lisbon strategy, which aims to make the EU more competitive.
The January debate brought together key opinion leaders from political, regulatory, industry, NGO and academic backgrounds. They included representatives from HP, the World Wildlife Fund, Lund University in Sweden, Intel, Sun, the European Parliament and the European Commission.
The ICT & Sustainability Forum will now embark on a rolling programme of work in 2006 to address the hot topics, from climate change to ageing populations.
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