Application of ISO 14000 to Information Technology Governance and Management

Abstract Sustainability is a reality and a necessity for everyone in all areas. The changes that are taking place with respect to environmental sensitivity force organizations to adopt a new approach to this problem. This has led organizations such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to develop standards that help all types of organizations achieve sustainable development, such as the ISO 14000 family of standards. However, the ISO 14000 family of standards is too generic and does not address specific areas that are highly relevant for organizations in the search for sustainability, as is the case of the area of Information Technology (IT). From the area of IT, sustainability and, in particular, the Green IT philosophy have become slogans for executive, corporate, and service management. Implementing Green IT initiatives has become a priority for the environmental awareness of organizations that want to stay ahead of the curve. That is why, in this study, the application/inclusion of the ISO 14000 family of standards to IT is carried out. The results obtained and the validation of this proposal by experts show an adequate and consistent proposal, which covers all areas related to IT. All this demonstrates the applicability of the ISO 14000 family of standards to IT through the Green IT and completes a developed framework that is useful in practice when implementing the governance and management of Green IT. Likewise, thanks to this proposal, organizations finally have a standardized guide when implementing Green IT, as well as when seeking for international and recognized certifications in this field.