Yes to green technology, but not at any price

This finding comes out of research from Epson, which reveals that 85% of IT decision makers in manufacturing industry want greener workplaces, but it's all about costs. The research, launched in the run up to Energy Saving Week (25—31 October), surveyed 1,000 IT decision makers from businesses with less than 250 employees across a variety of industry sectors in the UK – including 163 in manufacturing and assembly. Well over half (62%) of IT decision makers at manufacturing SMEs admitted that cost implications have held them back from making green decisions for their companies. Lack of knowledge comes second with almost a third (31%) conceding that they had put off investing in green, because they were not sure how to become greener. Surprisingly, 26% of respondents said that making 'green decisions' had not entered the business decision-making process in the past and one in five (20%) said they had 'not got round to it' – indicating that the environment isn't at the top of many decision makers priority lists. "During the recession, roll-out of greener products within the manufacturing sector slowed as the replacement of older products was deferred to try and reduce outgoings," comments Peter Silcock, market development manager at Epson UK. "However, small businesses are now realising the importance of improving their green credentials – to help save the environment, reduce their outgoings and improve their corporate image," he adds. And he continues: "An initial outlay on greener products, such as printers and projectors, will prove more cost-effective in the long run as they offer money and energy saving features that older products simply do not have."