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FAQ: Wyse EarthSmart Computing™ Initiative
What is Wyse's commitment to "EarthSmart Computing"?
 Wyse is committed to developing and producing products which have the smallest environmental footprint possible. We've built environmental considerations into every aspect of our business including developing thin clients that consume less power, last longer than traditional PCs, have fewer parts to recycle and dispose, as well as adhering to the most stringent environmental standards (such as ISO 14001, ROHS & WEEE Directive). This commitment to developing energy efficient products as well as discovering new way to reduce our collective CO2 footprint will forever be part of our R&D efforts at Wyse.
How much energy can I hope to save using thin clients?
Consider that a typical desktop PC uses between 60 to 250 watts of power per-hour. Compare this to a virtual client, which uses between 6.6 and 36 watts of power per-hour. To put this into perspective, 6.6 watts of electricity is the equivalent of a single "C7" light bulb on a Christmas tree. Consider having a network running tens of thousands of thin clients installed and running (which our customers do!), the cost savings can be staggering. One such Wyse customer, a Fortune 100 retailer, saves more than five million dollars per-year on energy costs alone. To find out how much energy you can save try out one of our energy calculators.
Why is thin computing a better environmental alternative?
Thin computing has always offered enterprise users solid cost and business benefits. Couple this value proposition with improved energy efficiency and a minimal environmental impact and corporations have even more incentive to choose thin clients. At a very high-level thin computing offers users the benefits of consuming less power but that's just the beginning.
Here are just a few additional environmental benefits:
- Less materials and energy are used in production compared to a PC
- Wyse thin clients are small in size and weight which reduces the cost and energy required for transportation
- Less materials also means less to dispose of at the end of its life
- Up to 90 percent of the unit can be recycled, and up to 99 percent of the packaging can be recycled as well
- Low heat output means less power needed for air-conditioning systems
- Wyse thin clients meet stringent ISO 14001 & ROHS certification
- Meets mandatory WEEE recycling process
- Longer product lifespan over a PC -- 5 to 7 years
- Wyse thin clients can be managed remotely, so maintenance and software updates can be delivered without support staff having to visit the user's desk.
Are you merely displacing the energy consumption to the data center?
Thin computing does require additional server capacity in the datacenter, so datacenter power requirements will increase. However, the savings on the desktop will far outweigh this increase. Servers are also becoming increasingly efficient as major server vendors focus on reducing datacenter power requirements. Additionally, virtualization technology is significantly increasing server utilization rates which minimizes the number of servers required.
Does Wyse comply with various environmental regulations?
Wyse complies with the applicable environmental regulations or legislation wherever we do business. In many cases our environmental programs and policies exceed many legal requirements. For example, our thin clients currently shipping are compliant with the Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive, ISO 14001 and the WEEE Directive.
How big of a problem is e-waste anyway?
e-waste is the fastest growing part of our waste stream. With an average lifetime of a personal computer (PC) being 5 years, the National Safety Council estimated approximately 41 million computers became outdated in 2004, and 63 million additional computers were obsolete in 2005. Researchers estimated that 75% of these obsolete computers are currently stored and will reach a total of 500 million by 2007. The population of the U.S. about 301 million-- that means there are almost twice as many old computers in the US as there are people! All those old computers will eventually require disposal.
Why is thin computing better from a recycling point of view?
With an average lifetime of a thin client being 8 years, this technology can act as a safeguard against obsolescence. The longer the product stays in use the greater ROI for corporations and the environment will benefit from lower e-waste. In addition, thin clients have fewer parts to recycle and dispose. All these factors make thin computing more advantageous from a recycling perspective.
What is Wyse doing to reduce the environmental impact of its own facilities?
Our emissions impacts are relatively low but we have a number of efforts underway to minimize them further, including the purchase of renewable energy sources for some of our power needs. Wyse also has a strong recycling program inside our facilities.
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