Manufacturers Want Business Software That Tracks Carbon Usage

In the wake of the chaos at Copenhagen, global enterprise applications firm IFS North America has published the results of a study that reveal much about how well prepared the business world is to participate in the makeover of the planet. And the news, on the face of it, is not so good.

According to this research, based on a survey of more than 260 manufacturing software decision makers, almost half are not currently equipped with the enterprise technology they need to adequately manage their environmental footprint. Further, went the study, another 28% have only limited capabilities.

Specifically, the study asked manufacturers to report back on to what extent their extant enterprise-wide software allows them to account for the impact of their company’s activities on the environment in the arenas of carbon footprint, solid waste, air and water pollution, product lifecycle and product end-of-life influence. Not surprisingly, the smaller the company, the less set up it revealed itself to be on this front. Only 20% of those responding companies reporting between US$250 million and US$999 million in revenue said they were tracking “some environmental measures” with their enterprise software, while 36% with US$1 billion or more in revenue said they already had this capability.

Managers have an eye on this kind of thing these days and well they should. As much as the pursuit of profits should provide motivation for a company’s growth and development, so, too, should the pursuit of a modest and manageable carbon footprint.

Internal efforts notwithstanding, there are lots of options available for folks keen to reduce their mark. Livclean is a carbon-offset provider based in Mississauga, Ont., that follows through, in a cleverly conceptual kind of way, on the financial value that those with an eye on the scene have attached to reducing carbons. Springing from an acknowledgment that change costs money, this organization rewards corporate efforts to reduce or sequester carbon emissions with the opportunity to sell the benefits to other operations that want to similarly offset the cost of their presence on the planet.

At 360, we’re on this.

Thanks to strategic and selective partnerships with the best software providers in the business, our enterprise software offerings already allow for everything from customer relationship management to financial control, from employee time tracking to inventory administration. And our full suite of business management solutions helps companies maximize sales efforts, expand relationships with customers and vendors, improve workflow efficiencies, reduce customer wait time, more effectively manage costs, enjoy more comprehensive access to accurate and up-to-date information, and, natch, increase profitability.

Up next: an enhanced option to track carbon usage, a software feature the IFS study found a full 83% of manufacturers consider somewhat or very important, and 63% would like to see their enterprise resources planning software vendor include as an embedded feature.

I’m keen to explore this path a little further. Travel it with me.

Tags: manufacturer carbon footprint, manufacturer carbon usage