Johannesburg, 13 Dec 2013
Wipro, a global IT multinational, has pledged to become an advocate of energy efficiency, a move that bears testimony to the company's various energy efficiency initiatives.
The New York Stock Exchange-listed multinational's commitment goes a long way. As early as 2007, Wipro set up stringent energy reduction goals which have paid off generously over the years.
"In India, we are one of the early adopters of green building design, with 19 of our current buildings certified to the international LEED standard," explains Business Director - Africa, Shailendra Singh.
Wipro's energy efficiency initiatives include the recent institution of a bi-annual award programme that recognises locations within Wipro that perform best in resource conservation. There is also a sustainability programme in which employee engagement is encouraged. The programme is performed through various day-long events on World Environment Day, Earth Day and Ozone Day, days that are significant on the "green calendar".
Other ongoing measures include retrofitting equipment, server virtualisation, remote collaboration technologies and optimisation measures. "We are also pursuing an energy efficient agenda with the redesign of our South Africa Head Office, in Sandton, Johannesburg. We are ensuring it is as energy efficient as possible and pursuing a green certification to support our efforts in this area," says Singh.
Since inception, Wipro's energy efficiency initiatives are paying off. The company has seen a minimum of 5% reduction in energy intensity every year.
"Wipro is dedicated to contribute meaningfully to South Africa, both economically and socially. We therefore fully support the 49M initiative as it strives to encourage South Africans to be responsible in their energy consumption. Becoming a partner of this initiative is formalising Wipro's own obligation as an organisation to drive the messages of the campaign and take action to ensure we play our part in reaching the goals of the initiative," says Singh.
Pieter Pretorius, Senior Manager Strategic Marketing at Eskom, has commended Wipro for the measures the company has taken to improve energy efficiency. "We as 49M are pleased that Wipro has joined the growing number of companies embracing energy efficiency. To date, we have been successful in getting 130 companies to pledge in the cause and join the global journey towards a sustainable future," says Pretorius.
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