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TANDBERG Announces Ten Tips for Reducing Carbon Emissions

Telepresence and video conferencing can reduce the need to travel by 30 percent

NEW YORK and OSLO, Norway (April 20, 2009) – TANDBERG, (OSLO: TAA.OL) the leading global provider of telepresence, high-definition (HD) video conferencing and mobile video solutions, today announced ten ways businesses can implement telepresence and video conferencing to reduce their carbon footprint while advancing business goals.

One of the most effective ways to reduce CO2 emissions is to reduce unnecessary travel. On average, TANDBERG customers find that telepresence and video conferencing reduce the need to travel by up to 30 percent, while improving their bottom line. For example, TNT, Europe's largest mail and express delivery services company, implemented video conferencing as part of its Planet Me program and estimates that the company will cut travel by 20 percent, saving €11 million over four years and significantly reducing carbon emissions.

It’s not just telepresence and video conferencing vendors touting the environmental benefits of this technology. The Nature Conservancy lists video conferencing as one of its “Easy Things You Can Do To Help Our Climate,” and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) recently released two reports that demonstrate how video conferencing can help organizations dramatically reduce carbon emissions.

Ten Tips to Advance Business Goals and Reduce Environmental Impacts with Telepresence and Video Conferencing:

1. Telecommuting – Enable people to work from home while still being fully engaged in the workplace. Save on real estate and operational costs, while increasing productivity and morale of employees who don’t spend hours in traffic.
2. Access to Remote Experts – Connecting customers and employees to experts and advisors face-to-face no matter where they are located through video communications saves time, money and carbon emissions, and increases customer satisfaction and loyalty.
3. Global Meetings – Whether meeting with the board or your global team, there’s no need for everyone to take a long flight. Just a short walk down the hall or a quick call from the desk and everyone can meet face-to-face without the carbon emissions.
4. Customer Briefing Centers – Video communication unites purchasers, clients, sales staff and engineers in real time without travel to facilitate instant decision making and collaboration, reducing the negative environmental impacts from travel. 
5. Work/life Balance – Employees who are always on the road often report more stress, less productivity and reduced job satisfaction. Video removes the need to travel, increasing morale, productivity, and collaboration, and allows managers to maintain in-person communication. 
6. Distance Learning – Schools, hospitals and other training facilities get an added lesson in conservation when they connect via video conferencing to remote institutions to enhance learning opportunities and save on costs. They can also easily share recorded content for future lessons.
7. Research and Development - Designers and researchers around the globe can hold live face-to-face discussions about product design, carry out component modifications during video meetings, and more to advance development timelines without increasing their carbon footprint.
8. Team Building – Multiple offices don’t have to mean isolated teams. Video conferencing allows remote teammates to see each other as often as if they were in the same office, maybe more. It helps enhance collaboration and build camaraderie without associated wastes of travel. 
9. HR Recruiting – Initial face-to-face screenings of out-of-town candidates cut costs and carbon emissions by eliminating the need to travel for interviews. Moreover, video interviews are much more effective than phone interviews since managers can read candidates’ facial expressions.
10. Real-time Collaboration – Organizations can deal with large amounts of rich data and collaborate in real-time from multiple locations with the visual and multi-media capabilities of video conferencing instead of losing productivity from rigorous travel out into the field.

Visit www.seegreennow.com for real examples of how organizations are using video conferencing and telepresence to reduce carbon emissions and advance business goals, and learn more about what you can do to reduce your own carbon footprint; TANDBERG will even plant a tree through The Nature Conservancy's Plant a Billion Trees initiative to get you on your way to a greener future.

“During these challenging economic times, the pressure to address climate change is still very real,” said Fredrik Halvorsen, CEO, TANDBERG. “The economy will bounce back, but the environment will continue to suffer unless the global business community acts now. Video conferencing is one of the few solutions that can help organizations address both cost savings and green goals.”

TANDBERG’s 1,400 employees conduct more than 75,000 video conferencing and telepresence calls monthly, significantly reducing the need to travel for face-to-face meetings. 

About TANDBERG

TANDBERG is the leading global provider of telepresence, high-definition video conferencing and mobile video products and services with dual headquarters in New York and Norway. TANDBERG designs, develops and markets systems and software for video, voice and data. The company provides sales, support and value-added services in more than 90 countries worldwide. TANDBERG is publicly traded on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker TAA.OL. Please visit www.tandberg.com for more information.

TANDBERG is a trademark or registered trademark in the U.S. and other countries. All other product and company names here in may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Contact:

Jean Rosauer
TANDBERG
+1 703.272.2106
jean.rosauer@tandberg.com         

Marcel Goldstein
Ogilvy for TANDBERG
+1 202.729.4188
marcel.goldstein@ogilvypr.com