There is overwhelming agreement that green issues will become more important. However, only a third of insurers have green criteria in the procurement process.

Green principles are grounded in best practices for running a lean operation, which is a message that chimes well in the current recessionary climate. Such initiatives focus on reducing cost by being smarter. In a new report, Eco-Centric Strategies in Insurance, Celent surveys insurers globally to understand current perceptions and attitudes towards green policies and green IT.

The benefits of green IT go beyond just business value, and it is likely that in the future there will be higher consumer demand and/or stricter rules governing corporate participation in green IT programs and strategies. An organization that begins adopting green IT policies now will find it easier and less costly to adjust later.

"Approaches to greening the organisation are largely mixed, but this appears set to change," says Catherine Stagg-Macey, senior analyst with Celent’s Insurance group and author of the report. "A convergence of factors—legislative, consumer attitudes, and fuel prices—is likely to see increased interest and investment in this area in the next few years."

This report examines the attitudes and perceptions of those surveyed, looking at how seriously green initiatives are being taken, the impact of legislation, and the extent of green policies in place. The report also looks at vendor offerings in the space. It concludes with two short case studies and some evaluation of the business case for eco-centric projects.