Earth Day 2022: Celebrate Sustainable IT as we Re-Invest in Technology to “Invest in Our Planet”

Every April 22, for the past 52 years, people and organizations around the world are reminded of the impact of human activity on the environment and the actions we must take to embrace a sustainable ethos to reduce the negative effects. With Earth Day’s theme this year, “Invest in our Planet,” we consider what IT technology leaders can do to make a real difference.

Every day we see the growing ill effects of global climate change and the tremendous increase in e-waste in landfills and micro-plastics in the world’s oceans.  Experts say end user computing (EUC) generates 1% of global GHG annual emissions, caused by the yearly manufacturing of 460 million devices and the associated energy consumed by 4.2bn active users. To “invest” in sustainability to reduce this impact manufacturers the world over – from cars to computers – are committing to re-use a percentage of recycled plastic in their products. Great! But we can do more by joining the forces of technology, cultivating an ecosystem of compatibility, to drive sustainable IT decisions.

IGEL’s Commitment to Sustainable IT

At IGEL, we live our commitment – and promise – to developing technologies that reduce the impact on the environment and support sustainable business practices. Watch this video to see how.

Here are just a few of the ways we work to achieve this:

• We enable secure work from anywhere – IGEL OS is the managed endpoint operating system that secures access to any digital workspace. Using it empowers today’s highly distributed digital workforces to remain productive and collaborate from anywhere, helping to reduce the carbon impact of commuting to the office or workplace, and global travel. In fact, a study by Px3 found remote working reduces supply chain and commuting emissions by 40%.
• We free people to be kind to the planet – By letting today’s digital worker use any endpoint device they choose, we are supporting the personal choice of workers’ flexible and energy-saving work styles.
• We give your devices a second life – booting IGEL OS on a device you already own allows you to easily connect to business apps and data on a virtual desktop from your data center or in a cloud. This extends the operational life of computing devices by up to three times, minimizing manufacturing energy consumption as well as the mining of natural resources and minerals used to produce the chips and boards used in new equipment.
• We enable existing devices to operate more efficiently – IGEL OS is an exceptionally efficient operating system that requires minimal CPU and memory resources. For example: after switching to IGEL OS, a large U.S. healthcare system noticed their workstations-on-wheels were able to run up to three times longer between battery re-charges. The result is a reduced carbon footprint and lower recurring energy bills.

A recent analysis on End User Computing and GHG Emissions by Px3 found postponing the purchase of new hardware with IGEL OS reduces CO2 emissions from 425,983 kgC2e down to 169,945 kg CO2e while saving budget for new equipment by 55%.

View the full report here   

Simply put, sustainability is in IGEL’s DNA. For us, every day is Earth Day. That’s why we have the vision to transform the way the world works, creating better outcomes for people, organizations, and our planet.

We invite you to learn more at https://www.igel.com/sustainability, then join us on this day to celebrate the Earth in taking action to make sustainable IT decisions, re-use the devices you have and optimize your end user computing workspace.