This paper examines Wipro Ltd.'s comprehensive green IT initiatives, tracing the company's efforts since 2006 to reduce its environmental footprint across product design, manufacturing, and service delivery. It covers the formation of the EcoEye governance council, the Greenware product line compliant with European ROHS standards, e-waste management programs, virtualization and data center consolidation, and corporate social responsibility through education. The paper also identifies key challenges — including heavy capital investment and reputational risks from second-hand equipment markets — and extracts a strategic framework of 23 green IT target areas. It concludes by situating Wipro's approach within the broader green-computing movement in the IT industry.
Green IT is defined as the study and practice of designing, manufacturing, using, and disposing of computers, servers, and related components — such as monitors, printers, networking and communications devices, and storage drives — in a manner that minimizes impact on the environment (Murugesan, 2008). The objectives of green IT solutions are to: reduce the use of hazardous materials; maximize energy efficiency throughout the product life cycle; and promote recyclable or biodegradable materials to minimize waste.
The challenge of green technology is twofold: first, to make computers as energy-efficient as possible; and second, to design algorithms and systems that use computer technology effectively. Wipro has addressed both by initiating green IT through consolidation and virtualization. Computer virtualization is the concept of running two or more logical computer systems on a single set of physical hardware.
Wipro Ltd is a global corporation in the field of Information Technology. The company has been taking comprehensive measures since 2006 to address climate change within its products and service delivery. Some of the initiatives taken by Wipro were innovative and were among the first of their kind in India. The company structured a goal of becoming carbon-free by 2014. To accomplish this goal and take strategic action toward it, Wipro established a governing body named EcoEye. The committee consists of seven senior managers, three of whom report directly to the company's chairman within their functional areas. The council endorsed 120 projects focused on creating a carbon-free environment.
Wipro's green initiative was also reflected in its hardware production, under the brand name Greenware. The new range of products in the Greenware category was made compliant with the European Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS), which restricts six hazardous materials used in the manufacture of various types of electronic and electrical equipment. Methodology was adopted to make new PCs free from brominated flame retardants (BFR), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and heavy metals such as cadmium and mercury (Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council, 2003). Wipro's green IT initiatives were not confined to specific projects; rather, the company treated them as an ongoing innovation effort aimed at discovering opportunities to diversify into business and product lines that would make a meaningful impact on customers and society as a whole.
The three compulsions that propelled Wipro to pursue green IT initiatives were regulatory, physical, and general. The most recent initiative taken by the company was setting up two subsidiaries as part of its diversification strategy, distinct from its core business, that demonstrated the company's commitment to eco-businesses. Wipro established EcoEnergy in June 2008 to offer customized, eco-friendly solutions in clean energy to clients across all industries. EcoEye served as an inclusive charter for ecological sustainability. The objectives of this charter were to:
The company offered a wide range of products and services aimed at improving process efficiency for customers. One such initiative was Intelligent Document Management, which helped customers manage, archive, and store paper and electronic documents. Another was an e-logistics management service providing a platform for connecting to all types of travel networks — including airlines, freight forwarders, and customs — thereby enabling paperless interaction and multi-format data transmission for customers.
Intelligent Smart Device Technology was designed to efficiently manage infrastructure systems across processes. It reduces the need for unnecessary maintenance inspections, which in turn reduces carbon emissions. To reduce travel costs and time, Wipro established a Unified Communication strategy that helps clients switch to teleconferencing and multimedia conferencing for overseas communications.
The company's virtualization policy enabled it to operate multiple operating systems without purchasing additional hardware. It consolidated the functions of underutilized servers onto fewer machines, reducing hardware costs and benefiting the company in terms of power consumption, cooling requirements, commercial space, and machine maintenance.
An e-waste program was announced by Wipro in September 2006. It provided 16 collection centers across the country for e-waste. The e-waste disposal program was initiated for Wipro's customers with the objective of collecting discarded computer systems and sending them to vendors authorized by the Pollution Control Board to dispose of the parts responsibly.
The diversification of Wipro into green business benefited the company in numerous ways. Wipro reduced its servers from 400 to 100, enabling annual power savings of approximately 1 million KWH. The e-waste management program established end-to-end waste management across the product lifecycle, spanning design, manufacturing, and final disposal.
Wipro pursued its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) commitments through a program called Wipro Applying Thoughts in Schools, launched in January 2001 (Wipro Corporate Website, 2011). The program focused on primary education through Grade 8 at the community level, with the purpose of communicating that Wipro is a knowledge company. The program's reach extended to 30 organizations across 17 provinces in India.
The objective of this program was to develop change agents through regular Educational Leadership Programs for school principals and teachers, equipping students with skills for environmentally friendly solutions. The program focused on building occupational, personal, and managerial skills, and provided 125,000 hours of training to over 2,500 teachers and principals in 100 schools. Trainers were mobilized through Wipro Cares, an in-house initiative that recruited volunteers from within the company and their households to participate in this social cause.
The teleconferencing and telecommuting initiative taken under Wipro's green business program delivered multiple benefits: increased worker satisfaction, reduced greenhouse gas emissions from travel, significant travel cost savings, and time savings for employees. The company also improved its profit margin through reductions in overhead costs such as lighting, power, travel expenses, office space, and heating.
Data centers are known to occupy large physical spaces and consume extraordinarily high amounts of energy. Wipro addressed this through consolidation technology, combining various applications into a single unit. This reduced both the physical space requirements and the energy consumption associated with data centers.
"Investment risks and second-hand equipment market issues"
"23-target strategic green IT framework explained"
"Industry-wide green computing trends and certifications"
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