It appears that the issue of sustainability has not had any serious effect on profit for tech companies, that's why its not a priority, when it begins to have such effects, then it will be made a priority.
it all boils down to the profit and good PR for companies. It was quite attractive for companies to claim that their products were sustainable but i have not seen much advertisements of products specifically mentioning the term 'lower carbon footprint' or 'lower green house emission' etc recently. Even global warming is not much in the news now a day!
Frankly, I'm not too surprised by the results of this survey. In fact, I think the 19% response for sustainability as a top priority seems perhaps a little bit too high.
I think the "nice to do but not an imperative" and the "if it's cheaper and more efficient" responses are fairly common opinions though, I think that's generally how I feel.
Don't get me wrong; I do agree that sustainability should be a higher priority. But at the end of the day, you need to make good business decisions.
That said, I do believe that sustainability is more important in other industries, outside of high-tech: my philosophy would be very different if I was working in commercial fishing, for example.
Also, I think many people (including myself) don't consider sustainability if the availability of the materials will not be threatened within our lifetimes. If I were manufacturing something that contained, say, a REE that was generally thought to have only another 50 years of supply left, I probably wouldn't really worry too much about potentially using up all of that resource because I'd be retired by the time availability became an issue (and of course it would be very unlikely that we'd manufacture the same electronics product for 50 years anyhow).
EBN Dialogue enables and encourages you to participate in live chats with notable leaders and luminaries. Not only editors and journalists, but the entire EBN community is able to comment and ask questions. Listed below are upcoming and archived chats.
Archived Dialogues
Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
While no one really can accurately predict the future, we can take guidance from another Drucker saying which is the best way to predict the future is to create it.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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