TCS, Wipro, HCL beat Apple, Facbook in green quotient

NEW DELHI/BANGALORE: How green are our IT firms? A Greenpeace report finds they are improving. In its latest report - called Cool IT - the environment activist group identifies 21 global IT giants that meet their basic criteria, and then ranks them on the basis of how much they are doing to keep the planet clean and green.

The list, which is topped by Google, has three Indian firms. Wipro is at the 11th spot, HCL is at 16th and TCS at 19th. The last version of the report had only Wipro on the list, and the one before that had no Indian firm.

The Indian firms are seemingly better than IT giants like Facebook and Apple, which Greenpeace has not included in the list because their "efforts do not meet the leaderboard criteria" .

The Cool IT Leaderboard tracks the progress of the world's largest IT companies towards the achievement of economy-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions of 15% by 2020. Companies are evaluated for leadership in three key areas: Efforts to offer economy-wide technological climate solutions that contribute to global greenhouse gas reductions (40% weightage); initiatives to reduce their own global warming emissions (25% weightage); and active engagement in political advocacy and support for science-based climate and energy policies (35% weightage).

Srimathi Shivashankar, associate VP for diversity & sustainability in HCL Technologies , said: "HCL is excited to be included in the leaderboard for first time this year and for being ranked the highest amongst all the Indian companies in offering climate solutions."

Google scored 53 points out of 100. Cisco, at second spot, has 49 points. Ericsson and Fujitsu share the third position with 48 points each.

"Technology giants have a real opportunity to use their power and influence to change how we produce and use energy," said Greenpeace IT analyst Gary Cook. "The IT sector might like to consider itself forward-thinking , but it is keeping far too quiet while the dirty energy industry continues to exert undue influence."

Wipro scored 5 points out of 40 for IT climate solutions, 17 out of 25 for IT energy impact and 11 for political advocacy. HCL scored 11 points for IT climate solutions, 4 for IT energy impact and 6 for political advocacy . For TCS, the points were 4 for IT climate solutions, 4 for IT energy impact and 3 for political advocacy.

Greenpeace said that its report is part of the group's wider campaign to challenge the IT industry to use its innovative skills and ingenuity to lead the way to scalable solutions aimed to reduce global emissions.