GCP – Contributing to a sustainable future with Chrome OS and partners

From efficient data centers to purchasing renewable energy at scale, Google is dedicated to doing our part to protect the environment and planet alongside our customers, partners, and larger communities. In 2007, Google became a carbon neutral company, and in 2017, it became the first company to match 100% of its annual electricity consumption with renewable energy. We’re not stopping there: we plan to get all Google data centers and campuses operating on carbon-free energy 24/7 by 2030. In honor of Earth Day, we’d like to highlight how Chrome OS supports Google in fulfilling this mission. Chrome OS provides sustainable computing software and hardware through our ecosystem of partners and customers committed to driving systemic change.

A cloud-first platform that helps lower carbon footprints and optimizes for energy efficiency
Chrome OS was born in the cloud and introduced a modern, more sustainable way of computing. Chrome OS’s power management capabilities offer efficient charging and optimized device performance.

When Kingston and Sutton London Borough Councils deployed over 3,800 Chrome OS devices, they did more than just achieve their goals of modernizing computing for their employees: the Councils have also seen annual drops in their greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption. “We benchmarked a 32% reduction in energy with the move to Citrix and Acer Chromebooks. If you combine this with the resultant reduced levels of commuting by employees you would need 3,700 acres of mature forest, roughly one and a half times the size of a park to remove the equivalent amount of pollution from the atmosphere.” – David Grasty, Head of Digital Strategy, Kingston and Sutton Councils

Citrix noted that “Using legacy end-user devices uses a significantly higher amount of computing power than necessary to perform everyday tasks. Adopting a thin-client approach in which the computing power is performed centrally in the cloud, such as with Chrome OS devices reduces reliance on the device for performance, enabling a more efficient and less energy-intensive way of working.” – Justin Sutton-Parker, Computer & Urban Science Doctorate Researcher, Citrix¹

Chrome OS enables e-waste minimization and prolongs device lifecycle 
Chrome OS’s cloud-profile capability facilitates sharing between multiple users. Device sharing is a simple yet highly impactful way for organizations to remain efficient with fewer resources and ultimately results in less waste. Grab and Go and kiosk mode on Chrome OS allow businesses to set multiple profiles and user modes so that one device can accommodate many without compromising on speed and delaying workflows. Additionally, new Chromebooks receive up to 8 years of OS updates and don’t slow down over time, staying useful for longer.

CloudReady from Google also helps modernize and prolong the life of your organization’s existing PC and Mac devices to help reduce e-waste while optimizing value alongside Chrome OS devices. “With the CloudReady given ability of allowing us to reuse existing hardware in literally minutes, we were able to dig deep into our existing IT equipment inventory, mobilize and deliver high-performing endpoints; all the way from 7 year-old HP laptops to newly purchased Dell Optiplex desktops. Combined with the ease of administration of the Google Admin Console, we were able to cover the organization’s needs from allowing staff to work remotely, refocus our IT team on supporting our doctors and nurses, as well as also rapidly mobilize a telehealth platform.” – Nick Fuchs, Senior Director of Infrastructure, Security & Support for Springfield Clinic

Smart devices designed with sustainable and recyclable raw material
Chrome OS devices are offered in versatile form factors such as clamshells, tablets and convertibles. Durable design and long lasting components such as rugged devices, spill-proof keyboards, and scratch resistant Gorilla Glass make them last longer. Our OEM partners such as HP, Acer and others help make this possible. HP Elite c1030 Chromebook Enterprise was recently featured in the Lonely Whale’s 2020 annual report and is the world’s first Chromebook made with ocean-bound plastics.

“At HP, we envision a low carbon and circular economy that creates a healthier planet, provides income opportunities for people and communities, and respects human rights. HP has diverted more than 780 tonnes of plastic (equivalent 60 million bottles) from the ocean and upcycled them into premium HP products.” – Ellen Jackowski, Chief Sustainability and Social Impact Officer, HP Inc

“At Acer, we have been raising awareness of climate change and making a significant impact on building a greener environment. Our latest Chrome OS devices meet the ENERGY STAR 8.0 certification along with EPEAT registry, more than 7.6 million Chrome OS devices have been shipped using PCR plastics and the use of virgin plastic on product packaging has been reduced by 60%.” – Chromebook Product Lead, Acer

Reducing environmental impact with more responsible supply chain and operations
Our partners such as Insight Enterprises, CDW and many others use Chrome OS each day to bring more efficiency to their internal operations, supply chain and logistics, and to their customers as well.

“At Insight, we work closely with our clients to help them optimize their IT and tap into more sustainable computing solutions, including smarter lifecycle management, responsible e-waste disposal, and an emphasis on energy-efficient devices and cloud applications that require fewer physical resources. Chrome OS is a natural ecosystem helping us promote these priorities, and the accessibility of eco-friendly devices like Chromebook further drives our mission to help the anywhere workforce stay mobile and productive while needing fewer resources to do so.” – Tierra Ryan, Vice President, Operations, Insight Enterprises

“At CDW, we’re committed to providing sustainable IT solutions to help our Chrome OS customers achieve their goals while operating responsibly. Therefore, we are also focused on the continuous improvement of our environment, striving to make our operations energy efficient and maximizing the impact of our recycling efforts. From our distribution centers to our offices, we bring sustainable development to every corner of our business.” – Amanda Zivich, Client Solutions Category Manager, Product and Partner Management, CDW

Learn more about how to support your organization with sustainable technology and environmentally friendly Chrome OS devices at https://chromeenterprise.google/os

^{1. Sutton-Parker, J. (2020). ‘Determining end user computing device Scope 2 GHG emissions with accurate use phase energy consumption measurement.’ Amsterdam: Elsevier Procedia Computer Science.https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/procedia-computer-science/vol/175}