Recycling Program Boosts Dell to No. 1

GreenFactor, a joint initiative between Strategic Oxygen and Cohn & Wolfe, recently released an updated global “green” enterprise IT study naming Dell as the number one technology brand. With recycling programs being recognized as the top-ranked attribute desired by IT buyers, Dell’s extensive program bumped it to the top of the list.

Strategic Oxygen surveyed more than 3,500 enterprise IT decision makers in 11 countries and evaluated 26 enterprise technology brands “to determine decision makers’ perceptions of ‘green’ IT, products and marketing,” according to a press release.

Other popular brands such as HP, IBM and Microsoft were also recognized for their energy efficient products and use of sustainable materials, while Apple held its position in the top five for designing products that are perceived to have a green look and feel.

“The technology brands that make the authentic connection between the environmental soundness of their products and their sustainable business operations and policies, will be long-term winners,” says Claudia Carasso, managing director of the global technology practice at Cohn & Wolfe. “We also know that CIOs [chief information officers] who are committed to green strategies depend more on blogs and forums than their non-green counterparts for gathering information on technology solutions. This is an important finding for product and service providers who are looking for current and credible ways to reach the coveted C-suite buyer.”

According to the new research, Global IT buyers “continue to see little differentiation among the various green offerings.” However, brand rankings among companies shifted somewhat, with Dell moving into the top position at 30 percent, replacing HP at 26 percent, as compared to an earlier study released in July 2008.  Similar to the July findings, no single enterprise IT brand is a clear “green” leader globally, and there is little statistical difference between the leaders.

The study identified many attributes that most clearly impact purchase decisions between brands, such as:

• Producing hardware that is made from biodegradable/recyclable materials
• Designing products or packaging that appears to be green because the design looks clean
• Offering recycling programs for old hardware
• Producing energy efficient products
• Having green facilities (manufacturing and/or data canters)
• Using green shipping methods (e.g. non-wasteful packaging, efficient transportation)

For the purposes of the study, “green technology” was defined as having efficient power consumption, recyclable/reusable packaging, recycling offers for older equipment, use of non-toxic materials, or making investments in future “green” concepts such as alternative materials.