Oct. 8, 2007 CIOs should focus more on how IT can help lessen the environmental impact of business operations and the supply chain instead of just looking at the environmental impact of IT functions, according to analysts from the Gartner research firm.

Speaking ahead of the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo next month, Gartner VP Simon Mingay outlined "three degrees of IT's environmental impact" that can help CIOs to pinpoint ways IT can help reduce a company's carbon footprint, PC World reports.

• First-degree impact comprises IT (electronic waste, use of non-renewable energy and user behavior, etc.).
• Second-degree impact is the effect of IT on business operations and the supply chain (material and energy consumption, emissions or waste from manufacturing and all operational processes, workforce commuting and mobility, vehicle fleets, waste disposal, etc.).
• Third-degree impact is the direct impact caused by buying and using the enterprise's products or services.

"IT is only one of many contributors to the environmental footprint of an organization alongside many other factors such as product design, supply chain, production, logistics, travel, and procurement," said Mingay. "Understanding where an organization's operations have the greatest effect on the environment as well as the influence of product or service life cycles is critical when determining where the most impact can be realized through IT innovation and investment."