What’s Green About Polycom?
My blogs over the last year have centered on various aspects of Green IT. Last time, I changed gears and discussed how Microsoft, as an organization, and through their product offerings helps address a Green IT strategy. This blog will explore how another PEI vendor partner, Polycom, can contribute to “going green”.
Polycom sees its telepresence, video and voice solutions providing Polycom and its customers with green travel alternatives. In addition, Polycom adheres to sustainable manufacturing and operations.
As the leader in unified collaborative communications solutions, Polycom announced its original internal and external sustainability initiatives in 2008 to reduce carbon emissions for a greener environment. Polycom’ s commitment is threefold: 1. to show customers how they can reduce their own carbon footprint by implementing Polycom solutions; 2. to build green products; and 3. to minimize Polycom’ s own environmental impact as a billion dollar enterprise with locations in forty countries across the world.
Visual Communications Contribute to a Greener Planet
Polycom’ s award-winning collaboration and communications solutions – from the iconic triangular conference phone to the industry’s only immersive telepresence suite – are inherently environmentally-friendly because they enable people to meet virtually in high definition and on-demand, providing an alternative to business travel and therefore reducing carbon emissions. Companies that communicate virtually reduce operating expenses and increase productivity – all the while demonstrating environmental responsibility.
Consider this example of the reduced carbon impact of using video conferencing (from Conservation International’s carbon calculator at www.conservation.org): Every time two people elect to meet with others over video instead of traveling round-trip between Los Angeles and New York, they save the carbon emissions equivalent of eliminating one car’s emissions for a year.
A Comprehensive Approach to Building Green Products
Polycom builds green solutions. Polycom’ s comprehensive approach focuses on improving the full product lifecycle: from research and development that minimizes the use of potentially hazardous materials and increases energy efficiency to clean manufacturing processes; and from greener product packaging and shipping/distribution models to proper product disposal. Polycom solutions are engineered to require less bandwidth, are software upgradeable for a longer lifespan, and are based on open standards to ensure interoperability in any environment. Polycom products are compatible with renewable energy from diverse sources and are RoHs and WEEE compliant.
Minimizing Polycom’ s Own Carbon Footprint Across 40 Countries
Polycom facilities, operations, and employees are continuously striving to improve our eco-friendliness in energy usage and behaviors. Polycom employees conserve natural resources, recycle whenever possible and Polycom mandates the use of its own collaborative communications products in lieu of travel. Polycom employees are encouraged to reduce their own personal carbon emissions using Polycom products in the office and from their homes. A recent survey, in which a quarter of Polycom’ s 2,544 global employees responded, found 35 percent either telecommute from a home office or use transportation other than a personal car – such as public transportation, carpooling, bicycling or walking – to commute to work. Polycom employees conduct an estimated 975,000 video conferences each year over Polycom’ s global network.
Given a strong economic and environmental incentive to investigate the benefits of video conferencing and Unified Communications, Polycom has clearly established itself as a leader in the industry.
Tim Krueger, PEI
