Dell has said it will blacklist supppliers that do not act to curb their impact on the environment.

The move, the latest effort by the second-largest computer maker to burnish its own green credentials, was announced by Michael Dell, the chief executive, in London today.

In an interview with Times Online, the company's billionaire founder gave warning to suppliers "not to underestimate the seriousness of our intentions" on environmental matters.

The plans could have large knock-on effects for groups such as Intel and AMD, both of which supply processors to Dell.

Despite recent losses in market share to its arch rival Hewlett-Packard, Dell, a notoriously fierce negotiator, wields an enormous influence among its suppliers.

Its procurement bill in Taiwan alone was estimated at more than $10 billion (£5 billion) last year.

Mr Dell added: "I think that governments and regulators are likely to act [on green issues]. We would like to be well ahead of them."

In the first part of Dell's supplier plan, contractors will be asked to begin reporting greenhouse gas emissions.

These figures will be added to the quarterly scorecard that Dell uses when surveying component makers.

"These companies fight for every point they can get … We think this could have a big impact," Mr Dell said.

He added that corporate and government customers, which account for 85 per cent of Dell's revenues, are looking increasingly at the "total cost of ownership" of computer assets – which includes the energy they consume.

His comments follow a trend for green thinking in the technology industry – estimated to contribute 2 per cent of the planet's carbon dioxide emissions by Gartner, the analyst.

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