An investment in effective stakeholder engagement is critical to obtain support prior to commencing a project, to ensure effective and efficient implementation, and to assess and share value afterward. This is an often-neglected element of Green ICT projects.

We have found that internal Green ICT projects and external service providers can become overly focused on technical issues to the detriment of the human touch. This is why we place strong emphasis on program elements that identify all the stakeholders and their interests in advance and include strategies and tactics for engaging them on a regular basis.

Stakeholder communication programs should be held to high performance standards to avoid be perceived as meaningless public relations exercises or as greenwash. One good way to do this is to construct and monitor communications programs in a manner aligned with ISO 14063/2006: Environmental management — Environmental communication — Guidelines and examples. We refer to our copy of the ISO 14063 on a regular basis when working with others and have incorporated its concepts into our evidence-based greening.

(Note that ISO 14063, unlike some other members of the ISO 14000 family, are guidelines and not standards, so there is no formal definition of compliance. This does not stop some from incorrectly using the terms "standards" and "compliant" with ISO 14063.)

More posts about the relationship of stakeholders to Green ICT.