Almost one in three firms said they are actively seeking to improve the green credentials of their information technology (IT) systems, according to a new poll.

Some 30 per cent of respondents to the survey conducted by IT procurement firm the Evaluation Centre said that environmental factors were a major part of their IT planning, with 16 per cent of firms claiming to be very actively pursuing green initiatives.

Only a quarter of firms had made little or no headway in bringing environmental upgrades to their computing systems, according to the survey.

Companies complained that lack of space (44 per cent) and power capacity limitations (38 per cent) are the main factors holding them back from embracing green changes in their IT systems.

But upgrading IT support to save on energy use is reportedly highly beneficial for firms, with sustainable business organisation Envirowise pointing out that some £1.7 billion has been saved by firms 'going green' this year and the average business wastes up to four per cent of their resources needlessly.