Introduction
More and more individuals, organizations, businesses and
governments have become convinced of the necessity to protect and
preserve the Earth and its environment. With growing evidence that
carbon dioxide output is the main cause for global climate change,
reducing our carbon footprint and minimizing energy consumption
have become important goals – for businesses and individuals
alike.
Governments and large organisations all over the world are
increasingly asking companies to prove that their technology is
green. This means not only proving that their energy consumption is
lower, as a company, but also that their products and solutions
require less energy to operate.
NEC has a head start on the competition when it comes to ‘Green
IT’. Japan has long been concerned about energy usage and NEC has
implemented global programmes to reduce CO2 emissions.
Besides reducing energy consumption directly, there are many other
parts of an organization’s operations in which advanced solutions
and new ways of working can have positive effects on the
environment. Today’s communications solutions can help in several
ways, and that’s where NEC’s Enterprise solutions and its EMEA
operation, NEC Philips Unified Solutions, have an important role to
play.
We believe that the current economic situation provides even more
opportunities to spur developments towards Green business. In the
first place, a somewhat slower pace of the economy will require
less energy consumption for production, transportation and the
like.
Secondly, governments are planning to stimulate the economy by
investing in longer term (IT) infrastructural projects, including
the development of broadband networking. In addition, with
organizations attempting to reduce costs by limiting travel,
telecommunications - particularly the latest developments in
Unified Communications - can enable people to maintain
communications and collaboration across the globe without requiring
their physical presence. Needs such as these are amply served by
the ICT solutions NEC Philips provides.
Our Environmental Policy
NEC has always been
at the forefront when it comes to technological innovations, many
of which are related to environmental protection. It is more than
five years since NEC established its Environmental Management
Vision, which focuses on the following important areas:
a) Reduce CO2 emissions resulting from production and other
activities
NEC aims to cut annual energy-derived CO2 emissions by 140,000 tons
by 2011. It aims to achieve this through a combination of
production innovation activities and planned introductions of
energy-efficient equipment, alongside programmes to reduce energy
consumption by data centres and energy-saving efforts at NEC Group
offices. NEC is also targeting emission reductions by replacing
PFCs, HFCs and other greenhouse gases. It is attempting to reduce
distribution-related emissions by limiting the use of air transport
(especially chartered cargo flights) and promoting mixed-mode
distribution. Overall, these programmes target a reduction in CO2
emissions of 350,000 tons during the fiscal period from 2008 to
2011.
b) Reduce CO2 emissions by promoting the use of energy-efficient
products
NEC has achieved annual gains in energy efficiency of 10% by
improving performance in terms of faster transmission speeds and
quicker data processing. NEC will continue working to achieve 10%
annual energy efficiency increases by investing in technical
development programmes to create high-efficiency devices and
energy-saving control software. The aim is to use such advances to
develop numerous top-class environmentally friendly products.
c) Reduce CO2 emissions through IT solutions
NEC promotes the development and adoption of IT solutions to
support more ecofriendly working, living and social infrastructure.
This has involved the introduction of an internal system to assess
all NEC software and services during the development stage, with
those products and services that significantly reduce CO2 emissions
identified by an eco-symbol. Going forward, NEC is creating IT
solutions that are particularly effective in reducing environmental
impact, in order to support the emission-reduction efforts of its
customers and society.
By 2017, NEC aims to be the leading company in the IT sector
exploiting the power of innovation, in order to create an
information society which respects both Man and the Earth.
As a key part of the NEC Corporation, NEC Philips Unified Solutions
recognizes that its activities have an impact on the environment
and is committed to reducing any adverse effects through a
programme of continuous improvement.
As part of an on-going drive for quality in all things we do, we
are committed to minimizing the impact our operations have on the
environment, and to providing environmentally sound products and
services. These enable organizations to implement communications
solutions which contribute to a more efficient and effective
deployment of scarce resources (such as time, energy and
capital).
An environmental management system is in place within NEC and this
clearly sets out policies and procedures which help us to:
· Comply with and, wherever possible, exceed current and future
legislation and other requirements
· Monitor, measure and report on the environmental impact of our
activities
· Strive to prevent and continually reduce any adverse
environmental impact arising from our business, to levels as low as
reasonably achievable
· Focus on the key area of hazardous substances in our
products
· Integrate environmental objectives into the everyday management
of our business
· Establish effective communications on relevant environmental
issues with employees, customers, suppliers and other parties with
an interest in our
business
Our Green drive and actions
NEC was Green
long before it was cool to be Green and has been environmentally
conscious since the early 1970s.
A short summary of our activities in this field:
1971 - NEC issues Environmental Management Guidelines directing NEC
managers to pursue green policies.
1991 - NEC publishes an Environmental Charter comprising seven
‘action points’ to be followed by all NEC employees. One of
these is ‘To produce energy- and resourcesaving products, while
giving careful thought to environmental safety issues in
development and planning’.
1998 - NEC initiates an internal environmental labelling system to
help promote the development of environmentally sound products.
Only NEC products that meet or exceed NEC’s highest environmental
standards can display the NEC eco-symbol. The symbol is currently
applied to 5,273 products in 55 categories and these figures are
continually increasing.
2002 - NEC launches its Forestation Program, which is committed to
planting 6,750 acres of trees by 2010. NEC’s commitment to
maintaining forests runs through to 2020, when the annual volume of
CO2 absorbed by the trees it has planted could approach one million
tons.
2007 - NEC releases its Environmental Management Vision 2010, which
publicly commits NEC to reducing its net CO2 footprint to zero by
2010. Over the past decade, the company has made great strides in
reducing its CO2 emissions.
2008 - NEC Solutions introduces new products that are both
energy-efficient and compliant with green manufacturing standards.
NEC introduces optional side panels made from bio plastics on new
terminals.
Advances in Enterprise Communications
Within
the field of enterprise communications, our products are in line
with NEC’s stated goal of reducing the net impact of its CO2
footprint to zero by 2010. Our Green Initiative is responsible
for:
· Lowering the energy consumption of these products
· Complying with green manufacturing standards
· Eliminating chemicals that increase CO2 emissions
· Using chemicals that are environmentally safe (e.g. eliminating
lead and mercury from circuit boards)
NEC Philips Unified Solutions is committed to:
· meeting and, wherever possible, exceeding targets imposed by
legislation and other regulations. For instance, our products
comply with the new EUP (Energy Using Products) guidelines;
· preventing pollution of the environment resulting from its
activities, through the effective application of an environmental
management system that meets the requirements of ISO 14001:2004 and
NEC Philips’ corporate policies;
· reducing consumption of materials in all operations and re-using
materials wherever possible, by promoting recycling and the use of
recycled products.
Most of our products comply to the WEEE (Waste Electrical and
Electronic Equipment) directive (recycling at end of life) and we
have taken measures to allow for professional recycling at the end
of our products’ life cycles;
· educating, training and encouraging employees to act in a
responsible manner with regard to environmental issues;
· identifying and achieving annual environmental objectives and
targets;
· conducting internal reviews in order to measure performance and
ensure policy goals and standard requirements are met;
· encouraging suppliers to consider similar practices by
communicating our Environmental Policy.
Besides reducing our own company footprint, NEC’s commitment to
innovation drives technology developments and product portfolio
improvements which, in turn, contribute to a better environment.
These are illustrated by the evolution in enterprise communications
from PBX technology to IP telephony, from hardware to software, and
from separate voice and data solutions to converged solutions and
Unified Communications, as offered by our latest UNIVERGE
portfolio.
Environmental Impact Assessment of IP
Telephony
Progress in communications technology (i.e.
developments spurred by the internet and IP standards) has resulted
in great improvements in energy consumption over the past few
years
In order to clarify the environmental effect of introducing
server-based IP Telephony, NEC performed an environmental impact
assessment comparing IP Telephony with the conventional private
branch exchange (PBX). This was based on the use of 10 phone
terminals before and after switching systems, over a period of one
year. In the case of the conventional PBX, periodic wire
maintenance was necessary, due to personnel transfers, etc. In the
case of IP telephony, such maintenance was not needed. CO2
emissions were calculated based on the total life cycle of each
system, also factoring in
the use of equipment included in the phone network, the use of
air-conditioning equipment in the machine room and the use of
materials during periodic wire maintenance. Unlike a traditional
extension phone network (voice network), IP Telephony solutions are
server based, using a LAN as connecting network.
Based on all of the above, the IP Telephony solution produced a
reduction in CO2 emissions of approximately 58%, compared to the
PBX system, thanks to the energy saved by UNIVERGE products and the
reduction in air conditioning in the power room. IP Telephony
assessment model diagram
IP Telephony assessment result
Calculation method
For the use of in-house phone network component equipment, the CO2
emissions resulting from the production of power used by the PBX,
SIP (*) telephony servers, phone terminals, etc., was
assessed.
For the use of air conditioning equipment in the machine room, the
CO2 emissions resulting from the production of power required by
the air conditioning equipment to be added in case equipment to be
assessed is installed in the existing machine room, were
assessed.
For the use of wire materials, the CO2 emissions resulting from the
production and discarding of wire materials required for wire
maintenance of the conventional PBX, were assessed.
(*) SIP: The acronym of Session Initiation Protocol, a
communication control protocol that is an international standard,
which is applied to Internet phones, etc. using VoIP.
Further power savings
Besides reducing the
power consumption of servers and terminals, and the other benefits
of introducing IP Telephony, present-day enterprise communications
technology offers further energy-saving opportunities.
a) Introducing softphones
A further energy-saving alternative in enterprise telephony is the
introduction of softphones to replace conventional phone terminals.
Softphones, like NEC’s SP30, are implemented by installing
software on PCs and are used by connecting a handset or headset to
the PC. Softphones are provided with application sharing and simple
messaging functions, and allow paperless viewing of documents.
Using softphones instead of physical terminals, therefore, reduces
waste as well as resulting in energy savings.
b) Power over Ethernet (PoE)
Our communication platforms are designed to power end devices using
Power over Ethernet. This minimizes power dissipation in the
network and eliminates the use of energy-consuming adapters.
Furthermore, the need for electrical wiring and outlets for end
devices is eliminated. Power over Ethernet can be used to power IP
phones, DECT base stations and wireless LAN access points.
c) Evolutionary migration and upgradability
Realising the pivotal role enterprise networks have within
organizations – with respect to infrastructure, business
processes and investments in equipment and training – our
approach to introducing new innovations takes an evolutionary path.
In developing new products and solutions, and introducing new
versions of existing hardware or software, we pay the utmost
attention to maximizing the use of existing equipment and
exploiting
existing investments to the fullest, as well as avoiding
waste.
Our open approach to standards, products and solutions enables
servers, terminals and applications to become interchangeable. End
user terminals and applications can be used across our platforms,
while hardware upgrades are accommodated by exchanging printed
circuit boards.
How our solutions contribute to a better world
Organisations are under pressure to improve workplace performance
but need to adapt their underlying business processes.
Inefficiencies, as well as their environmental impact, can be
addressed by streamlining communications and reducing or avoiding
business gridlock by using modern conferencing and collaborative
tools to avoid unnecessary travel.
Our latest communications solutions focus on efficiency for the
customer and help enterprises reduce their environmental impact.
They include tools that enable businesses to become more efficient,
while reducing CO2 emissions and waste. Unified Communications,
Business Mobility solutions and advanced applications reduce the
need for business travel and make telecommuting easier than ever.
Our broad portfolio of solutions includes:
· Unified Communications applications that allow customers to
fully exploit the combination of voice, data, messaging and web
collaboration.
· Business Mobility solutions, such as IP DECT and wireless LAN,
which reduce the need for physical wiring in offices, while Fixed
Mobile Convergence enables mobile employees to be reachable and
accessible by a single number wherever they are.
· Thin client solutions that provide end users with PC
applications without the need for local storage and processing,
thus requiring less hardware, consuming far less energy and
reducing heat dissipation. NEC‘s thin client solutions use 70%
less energy than a standard thin client.
Using these solutions helps to reduce energy consumption and limits
harm to the environment.
Unifying Enterprise Communications
Unified
Communications (UC) plays a huge role in NEC’s enterprise
communications activities. UC is actually a compilation of
technologies and applications that can include everything from
contact centre solutions, instant messaging, video and web
collaboration to presence information, enabling customers to
decrease costs and maximise productivity.
Unified Communications allows businesses to collaborate in real
time, with the flexibility to make the appropriate form of
communication available every time and everywhere. UC technologies
allow employees to conduct virtual interactions that provide a rich
and effective collaborative experience. In this way, teams become
more agile and productive, significantly reducing the time, expense
and environmental impact of travelling to attend meetings.
