About the ICT4EE Forum
The high-tech sector has developed at extraordinary speed over the last couple of decades, at a scale far beyond early predictions. Our industry is not a recent convert to sustainability or the urgent need to address climate change. We demonstrate in our operations, products and innovation explicit recognition that environmental and social, as well as economic, factors directly affect business strategy. Our approach to energy efficiency and climate change is neither opportunistic nor altruistic, it is common business sense.
Yet, with ICT's growing energy and carbon footprint it is clear that the sector needs to improve its energy and environmental performance. Using our technologies to demonstrate how the intelligent use of ICT can enable such improvements in our own processes, we can also work with other sectors to do the same thing.
It is for this reason that DIGITALEUROPE, GeSI, JBCE and TechAmerica Europe are launching the ICT for Energy Efficiency (ICT4EE) Forum. Over the next three years, the Forum will drive common methodologies for measuring and improving the energy and environmental performance of ICT processes and develop partnerships and projects and share best practice to demonstrate how ICT solutions can contribute to the more intelligent and efficient use of energy.
Objectives
Following the Commission Recommendation on "mobilising Information and Communications Technologies to facilitate the transition to an energy-efficient, low-carbon economy" of 9th October 2009, in a Memorandum of Understanding DIGITALEUROPE, GeSI, JBCE and TechAmerica Europe agreed to establish an ICT for Energy Efficiency (ICT4EE) industry Forum.
The overarching objective of the ICT4EE Forum is to link digital technology more closely to EU climate and energy policy and economic development. The aims of the Forum will be threefold:
- To demonstrate the commitment of the ICT sector to work in partnership to deliver energy efficient ICT solutions in other sectors of the economy and leadership to improve the energy efficiency of its own processes through delivery of its three year Roadmap.
- To help ensure a coordinated global approach from the ICT sector to policy recommendations on ICT4EE and climate and energy policies more broadly; and
- To contribute to informed and coordinated policy making in the European Commission, European Parliament and Member States on the ICT4EE agenda.