BASDA raises voice of the business software industry at EC High Level Event

BASDA, the Business Application Software Developers’ Association, has been chosen to represent the business software industry at the EC High Level event on ICT for Energy Efficiency on 19th March 2009 in Brussels, hosted by Commissioner Viviane Reding. 

Peter Robertshaw, who jointly chairs the BASDA Green SIG, will chair a session on 'Gathering Information and Creating Awareness'. The goals of this session are to share ideas and best practice and initiate recommendations at European level.

There has been much debate about how the software sector, as part of ICT, can really make a difference in reaching the goal for reduced carbon emissions and how seriously it is being taken at a strategic level when the economic downturn focuses minds on reducing costs and running efficient, sustainable businesses.

Peter Robertshaw explains: “It doesn’t really matter whether an individual organisation views environmental issues a way to drive revenues, reduce costs or to become a better business. The reality is that a greener global economy can be achieved without adversely impacting profits and growth.”

BASDA has been driving this issue through its members to demonstrate that a green strategy actually plays a fundamental part in the whole business change process required for organisations to effectively adapt for commercial innovation, growth and sustainability.

·         The BASDA Green Charter is now recognised at EC level as one of the initiatives within Europe beginning to bring together public, private and voluntary sector organisations in various partnership arrangements, which aim at maximising the effectiveness of ICTs in contributing to the 2020 carbon emission targets.

·         The Green Charter is also supported by AFDEL, the software association in France and the European Software Association (ESA) and has been adopted by over 30 business software providers including Microsoft, Oracle and Sage as well as medium-size and smaller companies.

·         The BASDA Green Charter is clear and simple – covering the four main areas where business software companies can make a difference:

o    The steps needed to improve their own companies’ carbon efficiency.

o    A commitment to help set standards for business processes, data transfers and reporting so that all organisations can adopt changes as efficiently as possible.

o    A promise to help the education of their customers in what needs to be done and how it can best be achieved.

o    The provision of enhanced and new business solutions to enable the changed ways of working that will be required.

This initiative demonstrates that the software sector can act as an example for other industries on how working together can give a focus and simple start point for real action.