Chua Hian Hou, Straits Times 12 Jun 09;
BUSINESSES are seeing the merits of going green to cut costs and win clients over.
About 97 per cent of companies worldwide are taking an eco-friendly route to slash power consumption and pollution - with 50 per cent having already implemented these strategies, according to a survey by Symantec.
The survey, conducted in March by the information technology company, polled 356 regional companies, including 25 from Singapore, on whether they were looking at becoming more environmentally aware, and what would make them do so.
The key driver, said Symantec's senior director for systems engineering Alvin Ow, is cost. This was cited by 93 per cent of respondents as a key reason for their efforts.
Cementing the pros of going green was last year's oil scare, when prices hit an unprecedented US$147 a barrel, resulting in higher electricity costs.
And while oil and electricity prices have since fallen, companies remain anxious that oil costs may spike again. Several weeks ago, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Mr Ali Al-Naimi, predicted that the oil price could soar beyond 2008's levels by next year.
Bottom-line concerns aside, 89 per cent of large organisations are genuinely concerned about further damage to the environment, making this the second biggest reason respondents want to go green, the report said.
One such company is OCBC Bank, which offers its customers electronic statements instead of paper ones, uses energy-saving bulbs in its branches as well as groups its computer servers together to perform complex tasks instead of buying additional systems.
Another major motivator is the positive spin going green has for a company's reputation in the market, with 85 per cent of companies listing it as an important outcome for any moves to be environmentally conscious.
Although less of a priority for some respondents, this may pay off in the long run as consumers become more discerning about the environmental impact a company has.
While the effects of this are not immediate, a growing number of companies will work only with socially responsible business partners, said Robert Walters spokesman Rena Tan.
The multinational headhunting firm, with 70 employees here, has just completed an audit of its office equipment, like photocopiers and printers, to test how power-efficient they are and whether they need to be upgraded to more efficient models. It is also in the process of installing video-conferencing systems to reduce overseas travel, and to automatically power down its computers at midnight.
Low-power computers and motion sensors to turn off lights in unused areas are also being tested.
And if companies are willing to spend, the benefits can be big.
Energy services company CPG Facilities Management's vice-president for its CPGreen division, MrDerrick Hong, said companies can cut power bills by single digit percentages to 'more than 20 per cent for those making major investments'.
According to the National Environment Agency's Energy Efficiency Programme Office's website, simply swapping a low-efficiency device to one with better energy efficiency can offer savings of about $80 a year. And power-saving bulbs provide savings of $15 a year compared to incandescent ones.
But many smaller businesses are sitting on the fence over this issue, said Symantec's Mr Ow.
This is because they are facing a cash crunch, and many also have no idea where to start, he said.
Mr L.W. Tan, for instance, still uses incandescent bulbs in his Yishun watch repair shop, which he did not want named.
Speaking in Mandarin, Mr Tan, 56, said: 'I know about energy-saving bulbs but it costs more money to renovate the shop (to use them). Anyway, I'm so old already and I'm going to retire soon, so no point wasting money.'
