Cape Town-based Itec Innovate has been named as the impactChoice Platinum Green Dealer of 2012 for the investment and effort it has made towards promoting environmental responsibility in its own business as well as towards selling greener solutions into its client base. The runners-up were Itec South (gold), Itec Converge (silver) and Itec Pretoria East (bronze).
The inaugural impactChoice Green Dealer Awards, open to Itec dealers countrywide, aimed to reward Itec Group dealers and franchises for educating staff about environmental sustainability, launching programmes to offset their own carbon emissions, and promoting greener technology practices among their clients.
Itec has an exclusive agreement with impactChoice for its dealers to offer clients a practical and transparent programme that will help clients neutralise the environmental impact of their printers and copiers in a simple, auditable and sustainable manner. Itec is the first office automation solutions provider in South Africa to offer sustainability solutions as a value-added service to clients.
Across the six months of the competition, 773 000kg of carbon credits were distributed to and on behalf of competing dealers and retired through the PlanVivo/CCBS registered Sofala Community Carbon Project. The top four dealers accounted for 61% of the credits that were redistributed.
Not only has Itec Innovate successfully persuaded many of its clients to embrace greener technology with impactChoice, but directors Mark McChlery, Bob Skinstad and Darryl Fredericks commissioned a full baseline greenhouse gas/carbon footprint audit of Itec Innovate in order to identify areas for improved environmental efficiency.
Says McChlery: "We have bought wholeheartedly into Itec Group's efforts to help clients measure and mitigate their carbon footprint as well as to encourage dealers like us to become more environmentally sustainable. Carbon offsetting is today a critical part of a sound office automation business solution.
"As we have approached our clients with the impactChoice solutions, we have found that the market has embraced the importance of triple bottom-line reporting. Itec and its clients will be well prepared if and when carbon taxes are introduced in South Africa."
"The inaugural competition met its objectives of increasing staff awareness, initiating in-house carbon reduction efforts and encouraging customer participation within Itec and impactChoice's carbon measurement and offsetting programme," says Peter Newell, General Manager at impactChoice South Africa. "We must especially congratulate Mark, Bob, Darryl and their team for a proactive stance on environmental sustainability. They are not just selling the solution to their clients, but adopting green practices themselves, showing their commitment to sustainability."
Mark McChlery can be contacted on Mark.McChlery@itecgroup.com for more information.
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