Chief information officers (CIO’s) are split on whether outsourced IT operations should count towards an organisation’s total carbon footprint, according to a Fujitsu Services survey.

While the majority of the CIOs preferred to count outsourced IT operations as part of their carbon footprint, almost a quarter believed the opposite and wanted the contracting company to become responsible. The survey was of 100 CIOs in UK companies employing more than 1000 people.

Fujitsu Services, as a provider of outsourcing services, said industry leaders should work together to agree common standards for calculating carbon footprints.

“This research suggests that many are erring on the side of caution, preferring to double-count rather than risk understating environmental impact,” the Fujitsu Services report noted.