IBM proffers Green Sigma approach to energy and water

Dave Lubowe, global leader of IBM’s operations strategy consulting practice, claims that the organisation is applying Lean Six Sigma principles to energy and water usage. “There’s a fundamental truth to understanding and improving any aspect of a company’s performance – if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it,” he quips. “This applies as much to a company’s energy and water consumption as it does to anything else, and our offering can help clients apply this principle to make their businesses greener.” And Lubowe doesn’t just mean in data centres, but also transportation systems, manufacturing and distribution facilities, offices, retail space and R&D sites. IBM’s own conservation efforts, he says, have saved 4.6 billion kWh of electricity and $310 million in costs – and avoided over three million metric tons of CO2 emissions since 1990. The company’s work-at-home programme for employees saves roughly eight million gallons of fuel annually, he says. Lubowe says it’s all about establishing KPIs defined and tailored to the client’s operational environment, industry and business. Activities include building KPI sets for carbon and water, including regulatory and stakeholder requirements, specifically identifying areas where activities and practices should be measured.