Computing and communication companies like IBM, Xerox, SAP and Cisco recognize sustainability and climate change as opportunities, but their industry as a whole has not integrated those issues into their core businesses.

In its second assessment of companies in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, WWF Sweden and research firm Gartner found that some companies have advanced in creating and improving internal environmental program and low-carbon product offerings.

Of the 19 companies that were assessed (28 had been invited to participate), WWF and Gartner called out BT, IBM, Cisco, Ericsson, HP, Fujitsu and SAP as leaders in integrating sustainability into ICT, which accounts for 2 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions.

Companies were assessed based on their commitments to managing environmental issues in their operations and supply chains, what they can do to advance low-carbon products and services, and development of products that can help reduce emissions.

The overall industry, WWF and Gartner concluded, is still "immature" in its programs and offerings. 

"We were surprised at the lack of disruptive innovation, with the majority of responses essentially focused on the incremental 'client-driven' development," Dennis Pamlin, an independent consultant working for WWF Sweden, said in a statement. "If the ICT industry is to deliver on its promise of making a significant contribution to enabling a transformation to a low-carbon economy it is going to require substantially more than marginal incrementalism."

While hardware vendors are focusing on the efficiency of their own equipment, software vendors are not, and Xerox is the only company seriously getting involved in reusing and recycling parts.

Fujistu, meanwhile, is the only company that has set a carbon reduction goal based on reducing its customers' emissions rather than just its own.

A bright spot noted by Gartner and WWF is that more companies are creating inter-industry partnerships, which bodes well for advancements in smart grids, buildings and city infrastructure.

_{Computer on grass - CC license by Flickr user br1dotcom}