News

posted on 12 March 2008 14:28

An Overland Storage-sponsored survey has found that UK IT buyers don't think 'greeness' is very important in IT buying decisions whereas most French and German IT buyers rate 'greeness' in their top three IT buying criteria.

'Greeness' means low lifetime energy cost, minimal hazardous material use and recyclability.

The survey, carried out by Vanson Bourne, found that only 22 percent of UK respondents
placed green criteria in their top three purchasing concerns. In France 76 percent did so
with Germany a close second at 72 percent.

Overland Storage's EMEA marketing director, Chris James, said: "Although these figures are naturally open to interpretation, they seem to backup the perception amongst our French and German neighbours that Britons are far less environmentally conscious than they are."

He thought part pf the problem might be attributed to perceptions of greenwash in IT suppliers' marketing claims by UK buyers: "The conversations we are having with our UK customers suggest that they are incredibly sceptical about the green marketing claims linked to a growing number of products and maybe it's the refusal to accept these that is behind these results."

This suggests that sellers of obviously green storage, such as tape automation vendors like Overland Storage, have a harder job in the UK than across the channel.

[Phil Robson, news editor.]