A friend who helps run an environmental consultancy asked me the other day about ways in which the recession might promote a green agenda, rather than damage it.

In a world overshadowed by fears about the economy and the environment, information and communications technology is one of the brightest sources of hope. But can corporations unleash their potential in time? Introducing the first in a series of three monthly supplements, Hamish McRae explains how companies that use networking to reduce their ecological footprint can make their businesses sustainable – in more senses than one