Indian IT companies such as Tata Consultancy Services [Get Quote] (TCS), Wipro [Get Quote], Infosys [Get Quote] and Satyam [Get Quote], besides MNCs such as IBM, are working towards becoming carbon neutral while simultaneously converting their expertise in this area to help global companies become environment-friendly.
 
Becoming carbon neutral means developing products or processes that, over their life cycles, do not add more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Energy spending has reached 50 per cent of hardware spending, according to IDC, and is expected to increase to 70 per cent over the next four years.
 
"Being carbon neutral is seen as good corporate and social behaviour across the globe. The extent to which a company mitigates its carbon emissions is becoming a key measure of its business performance," said Uma Rajarathnam, head - environment practice, Enzen Global Solutions.
 
While global giants such as Intel and Google have already pledged their efforts to the green movement by launching the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, ITC Infotech is the only Indian company that can claim to be fully carbon neutral.
 
Other IT services companies have already started positioning themselves to address the global energy programming and monitoring market. The global emission trading market is said to be around $30 billion.
 
This would require a huge amount of software, programming and back-office management in measuring each company's carbon footprint, emission reduction and measures to be taken on an ongoing basis.
 
Wipro has already implemented various clean energy programmes at its Bangalore campus. Infosys has installed solar systems and other energy-efficient technologies at its campus in Bangalore.