Even as the US and India debate about carbon emissions, a core team at Infosys is attempting to complete one of the most ambitious challenges ever undertaken by a company. The challenge—a gauntlet thrown by Infosys co-founder, Nandan Nilekani, to help Infosys achieve the rare distinction of becoming a carbon neutral company by the year 2012.

Becoming a carbon neutral company is not an easy task—it involves investing in projects that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and projects that nullify the effect of the carbon emissions generated due to the nature of a company’s business.

What contributes to a carbon footprint? Almost every activity that is part of a typical company’s normal business operations. This includes air travel, vehicle usage, air conditioning and even using a desktop or laptop computer. With more than one lakh employees on its rolls, and over 50 offices and development centers spread across the globe, the ‘carbon emission’ impact resulting from travel, vehicle usage and from providing the necessary IT infrastructure to match the scale of Infosys’ operations, is huge.

Infosys has realized the strategic impact of this initiative, and has accordingly taken this drive on a war footing. “If we want to set new benchmarks, we must set a tough goal. This is precisely what Nilekani has done, and today, the whole company is marching towards matching the deadline set by Nilekani,” says Rohan Parikh, Head of Green Initiatives, Infosys Technologies.

The goal is to not only be a good corporate citizen, but also use this initiative to cut down operating costs. “Green IT is no longer just an environmental factor; it is an economic advantage,” declares Parikh. The mantra is simple—every dollar saved is a dollar earned.

The result of this focused approach is paying off as Infosys has managed to reduce its carbon emissions by a significant margin. For example, in the area of electricity, which contributes to 72 percent of its emissions, Infosys has managed to achieve a 10 percent reduction in per capita electricity consumption for the fiscal year 2008-2009.