What is the Computers Off labelling initiative?

The ComputersOff label asserts a public commitment by the licensees to reduce their power consumption and in turn the CO2 footprint of the government department, institution or businesses information technology (IT) infrastructure.

What will the label do?

The Computers Off label is the centralised portal for carbon conscious organisations and their consumers. The label will demonstrate your commitment to reducing your CO2 footprint. Displaying your organisations commitment to the environment and your IT carbon reduction strategy will empower consumers and business partners to make informed decision on working with your organisation, assist with customer loyalty, and will also help capture new markets.

Why has this campaign been launched?

There has been an increase in the demand from consumers and business for organisations and government to publicly disclose their carbon reduction strategy. The ComputersOff campaign and label gives recognition to those organisations that are actively pursuing an IT carbon reduction strategy. This also allows consumers and businesses to factor into their purchasing decision the policies of the organisation they are either dealing with today or may look to deal with in the future.

How do you get involved?

To use the label and to claim your organisation as a 'Computers Off' supporter you will need to meet the following criteria:

-    Have a power management policy in development or in place.

-    Provide a .pdf or word document stating your CO2 reduction strategy that will be posted on the campaign website declaring your IT carbon reduction strategy.

When can we expect to see wide adoption of the campaign and initiative?

The official release of the campaign and labelling initiative was 30th June 2008.

We are currently working with some of Australia's largest organisations and government departments to support this initiative and are also in the process of developing ComputersOff.ORG into a global campaign and certification scheme.

We anticipate the campaign will penetrate into more than 5,000 businesses and will be supported by more than 50,000 home users by June 2010.
 

Is this just an Australian initiative?

No. The ComputersOff campaign has been developed as a global campaign. We expect global adoption of the campaign during the latter part of 2009 and into 2010 with the official launch of the global campaign mid to late 2010.

It is expected that we will have over 8,000 corporate and 100,000 individual supporters after the global launch.

What is the incentive for home users, businesses and government to join the campaign?

Regardless of the type of user supporting the campaign, the incentive to join is knowing that you are doing your part to assist with this global issue and you are creating a better environment for generations to come. BTW, there are also some substantial saving to be made on your power bill.

For businesses and government departments, recent research shows that consumers and businesses see climate change as the primary issue likely to impact on their corporate reputation over the coming few years. Your commitment to this campaign demonstrates your intent to take action on climate change and will produce benefits in the form of customer loyalty, and the of capture new markets.

How can I trust the declaration from the campaign supporters?

As a part of the licensing code of practice and license agreement, we will from time to time randomly select a number of licensees and carry out an independent audit to ensure businesses continue to comply with the various requirements under the licensee criteria.

Should it be determined that they do not comply with the criteria under the Computers Off campaign, we reserve the license to revoke any license that has been issued.