The public sector needs to focus on greener and more efficient IT, Cabinet Office minister Gillian Merron told the European Commission egovernment conference in Lisbon today.

Technology is responsible for up to one billion tonnes of CO2 emissions every year, a similar proportion of global output to that of the airline industry.

And the government's £12bn annual spend makes it the UK's biggest IT user, said Merron.

"We have a responsibility to set a positive example on the environment, so I am asking our IT leaders to work with industry to find new ways to improve the sustainability of government computer systems," she said.

"This doesn't just mean reducing the amount of electricity they use, but also looking at how they can be designed and built in ways that consume fewer materials and which make recycling easier."

The Cabinet Office eGovernment Unit, run by Whitehall chief information officer John Suffolk, is to work with supplier group the Information Age Partnership to establish how public sector IT can be made more sustainable. The initial report will be published in 2008.

"There is real potential to deliver more sustainable IT that also costs less and provides better results for users," said Suffolk.

"There is already some excellent practice in place and we look forward to working with the IT industry to build on this and to deliver continued improvements in the future."