Going green is proving to be harder than most companies want to admit.

And, while many are introducing green versions of their traditional products and services, this only nibbles at the edges of the sustainability goal.

So says the granddaddy of business machinery and computers, IBM. The company’s got its own green angle, as a consultant to promote eco-friendly business practices under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) banner. IBM’s convinced that adopting CSR promotes long-term success and profitability, and it just completed its second global survey to prove the point.

CSR is not philanthropy or viewing regulatory compliance as a cost of doing business. It’s adopting environmental, social and economic policies that protect the planet, treat workers fairly, and still reward owners and shareholders.

But to evolve to this level of operation, companies need information, and they need to learn how to process information so they can polish their green images and product lines. The big roadblocks to implementing complete CSR programs are that companies fail to:

• collect and analyze all the right information about sustainability
• aggregate the data often enough so they have an up-to-date picture of market and regulatory realities
• collect enough CSR data from their supply chain partners. With inadequate data, companies are missing major opportunities to reduce inconsistencies, inefficiencies, waste and liabilities, and
• fully listen to and understand the concerns of key stakeholders — particularly their customers — who normally provide new ideas for market opportunities.

For example, IBM’s survey reveals that only 19% of companies collect carbon dioxide (CO2) emission data on a weekly or daily basis. Instead, they collect it monthly or quarterly. This meets regulatory requirements, but it misses out on the real green benefit offered with better data management — opportunities to improve energy efficiencies and reduce power consumption.

IBM’s survey is here.

IBM’s business consulting service department also promotes itself as a Green IT expert, helping clients improve energy efficiencies with their computer operations. Click here for IBM’s Green IT web page.

Tags: carbon dioxide, energy efficiency, Green IT, IBM, sustainability