Embracing Sustainable IT : Understanding, Engaging, Evolving

In an increasingly connected world where digital technology is prevalent in both our personal and professional lives, the question of Sustainable IT cannot be ignored. Amidst the undeniable advantages of technology and the environmental and social challenges it poses, it is essential to grasp the issues of sustainable IT, the necessary actions, and the key players involved in the eco-digital transition.

Sustainable IT: What is it? What are the Challenges?

Sustainable IT is an approach aimed at maximizing the benefits of digital and technological advancements while minimizing their negative impacts on the environment, society, and the economy. It rests on three main pillars:

1. Environmental Challenge:

Digitalization significantly impacts the environment, accounting for 3.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions (which is three times the footprint of France). This impact is primarily due to the energy consumption required for the operation of digital infrastructures and electronic devices. Environmental consequences include:

• High energy consumption: Data centers, networks, and electronic devices consume significant amounts of energy for operation and cooling. The situation worsens when energy comes from non-green sources. Globally, 10% of electricity is consumed by digital activities.
• Pollution from electronic waste: The rapid obsolescence of electronic devices leads to an increase in waste, often containing toxic and difficult-to-recycle materials. In 2019, there were 53 million tons of electronic waste, a concerning figure considering the exponential increase in electronic equipment production.

The manufacturing process contributes significantly to the carbon footprint of electronic equipment, accounting for approximately 70% to 80% of the total carbon footprint.

• Resource depletion: The manufacturing of digital equipment requires the extraction of precious materials and non-renewable resources, putting pressure on ecosystems and diminishing available resources.

2. Economic Challenge:

Digitalization has transformed economic models and work processes, but it also presents challenges in terms of equity, employment, and wealth distribution. Economic consequences include:

• Widening inequalities: Unequal access to digital technologies creates a digital divide, reinforcing socio-economic inequalities.
• Transformation of the labor market: Automation and digitization of production processes lead to changes in the labor market, with the disappearance of some traditional jobs and the emergence of new digital-related occupations.
• Concentration of economic power: Large technology companies often dominate the digital market, limiting competition and potentially hindering innovation and economic diversity.

3. Social Challenge:

Digitalization profoundly impacts social interactions, privacy, mental health, and individual well-being. Social consequences include:

• Alteration of social relationships: Intensive use of digital technologies can lead to degradation of face-to-face social interactions and issues of dependency and social isolation.
• Privacy violation: Massive collection of personal data by companies and governments raises concerns about privacy and individual security, as well as the risk of abusive surveillance and profiling.
• Impact on mental health: Constant exposure to screens and social media can have detrimental effects on mental health, including anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders.

Examples of Digital Pollution:

Digital pollution manifests in various forms. To illustrate, here are some concrete examples:

Computers (desktop or laptop):

• Manufacturing:
  • A 2 kg laptop emits approximately 150 kg of CO2e.
  • A 10 kg desktop emits around 350 kg of CO2e.
• Usage:
  • An average laptop consumes 60 kWh of electricity per year.
  • A desktop consumes around 100 kWh of electricity per year.
• Greenhouse gas emissions:
  • Estimating the exact CO2 emissions of computers is challenging due to numerous factors. However, according to a 2019 study by ADEME, the manufacturing and usage of computers accounted for 2.5% of France emissions.

Data Centers:

• Energy consumption:
  • Data centers consume about 2% of global electricity.
  • A medium-sized data center consumes as much electricity as a city of 50,000 inhabitants.
• Greenhouse gas emissions:
  • Data centers emit approximately 0.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Cloud Computing:

• Energy consumption:
  • The cloud consumes about 1% of global electricity.
  • Cloud energy consumption is expected to increase by 50% by 2025.
• Greenhouse gas emissions:
  • The cloud emits about 0.2% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Digital Workplace:

• Energy consumption:
  • The digital workplace consumes around 10% of global electricity.
  • Energy consumption of the digital workplace is expected to increase by 20% by 2025.
• Greenhouse gas emissions:
  • The digital workplace emits about 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Websites:

• CO2 emissions:
  • An average website emits about 4.61 grams of CO2 per page view.
  • In 2021, French websites emitted approximately 16.9 million tons of CO2.

To summarize…

The challenges of Sustainable IT are multifaceted and complex. They encompass environmental concerns, the need to reduce the carbon footprint of the digital sector, and societal aspects, such as ensuring equitable access to technologies and protecting individuals’ data. From an economic standpoint, it involves promoting innovation and competitiveness while ensuring ethical and responsible technology use. Such an endeavor cannot be accomplished alone, which is why developing a Sustainable IT approach involves numerous stakeholders in Europe.

Key Players of Sustainable IT in Europe:

In Europe and France, several organizations and initiatives play crucial roles in promoting Sustainable IT.

Government:

• European Union: Defines policies and regulations for more sustainable IT, also supporting various research and innovation programs.
• France: The Ministry of Ecological Transition and Solidarity, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and the State Secretary for Digital Affairs, notably through the High Committee for Sustainable IT, define a national strategy for sustainable IT and support companies and administrations in their eco-digital transition.

NGOs and Associations:

• Greenpeace: Raises awareness of the environmental and social impacts of IT, promotes more sustainable practices.
• The Shift Project: Decarbonizes the digital economy, proposes concrete solutions to companies and policymakers.
• France Digitale: Represents digital actors in France and promotes innovation and sector growth.
• Boavizta: Inter-organizational working group dedicated to assessing organizations’ environmental impacts of IT.

Think Tanks and Research Institutes:

• Institute of Sustainable IT (INR): Awards the Sustainable IT label to organizations committed to sustainable development and corporate social responsibility.
• ADEME: Advises and proposes approaches and methodologies, issues recommendations, conducts studies with a rigorous approach, without ignoring uncertainties.
• Carbone 4: Supports organizations’ transformation towards decarbonization, adaptation to climate change, and restoration of biodiversity.
• GreenIT.fr: Fosters a community of experts in sustainable IT, shares best practices.

Laws and Regulations in Europe:

In Europe, several laws and regulations are in place to regulate sustainable IT:

• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): Aims to protect the personal data of European users and hold organizations processing this data accountable.
• Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD): Requires large companies to publish information on their environmental, social, and governance impacts, aiming to improve transparency and comparability of ESG information.

In France:

• Law for a Digital Republic: Aims to develop the digital economy and ensure everyone’s access to digital services.
• Law on Combating Waste and Promoting the Circular Economy (AGEC): Introduces measures to combat planned obsolescence and promote the repairability of electronic products.
• Law aiming to reduce the environmental footprint of IT (REEN): Aims to reduce the environmental impact of IT in France by imposing new obligations on organizations regarding eco-design, digital sobriety, and recycling of IT equipment.

Other Laws and Initiatives:

• European Green Digital Pact: Aims to make the digital sector carbon-neutral by 2030.
• National Strategy for Sustainable IT: Defines the government’s priorities for sustainable IT.

Starting a Sustainable IT Strategy: How to Proceed?

At Sopht, we specialize in the environmental aspect of Sustainable IT! Thus, in this section, we will primarily focus on this first pillar.

1. Sensitizing and Engaging is the key step in launching a Sustainable IT strategy. It is essential to create a culture of Sustainable IT within the organization, raising awareness among management and teams about the environmental and social impacts of IT, organizing workshops and training sessions to familiarize them with best practices, and involving stakeholders at all levels of the process. This step is crucial to ensure everyone’s commitment and mobilization.
2. Measurement is crucial as there is no progress without measurement! This step is essential for defining a solid foundation for the strategy and monitoring progress. Measurement is often a stumbling block due to complex data collection in a fragmented IT ecosystem. At Sopht, this is precisely one of our areas of focus. We automate data collection across the IT value chain (desktop, laptop, on-prem infra, cloud, digital workplace, web, etc.) and provide real-time impact feedback in understandable and actionable dashboards.
3. Setting Reduction Objectives and Implementing Concrete Actions: Once the assessment is complete and the most important emission factors are identified, it is time to set reduction objectives. At Sopht, the platform helps identify the most important emission factors and automatically proposes the best reduction levers possible with different levels of actionability complexity.
4. Monitoring Decarbonization Trajectory: Tracking the impact of activated levers is not always straightforward. It is also challenging to monitor the impact of actions without measurement. The Sopht platform has a dedicated screen for the impact of your actions on your decarbonization trajectory, as well as real-time status regarding the targeted reduction objectives.
5. Communicating and Sharing Impact Reports: To sustain and amplify the impact of a Sustainable IT strategy, communication and reporting are crucial. This reporting process directly aligns with the CSR strategy because the results feed into the ESG report. It is essential to communicate internally and externally about commitments and achievements to maximize the reach and value of the initiative.

In conclusion, the challenges of Sustainable IT require a holistic and collaborative approach, addressing environmental concerns, the need for reducing the carbon footprint of the digital sector, and societal aspects, such as ensuring equitable access to technologies and protecting individuals’ data. Transitioning to more sustainable IT requires the active participation of various stakeholders, including governments, NGOs, and businesses. Awareness, measurement, objective setting, monitoring, and communication are crucial steps in progressing towards a more sustainable and ethical use of digital technologies. By leveraging existing solutions and adopting appropriate regulatory policies, at Sopht, we believe it is possible to build a more sustainable digital world to address climate change.

At Sopht, we created a GreenOps solution that is the perfect way to help the environment, update your digital infrastructure and improve your finances all at once. Because going green isn’t just about being environmentally conscious; it’s about saving money, too. We offer multi-cloud monitoring to rationalize your infrastructure and related costs by measuring and comparing your different Cloud Providers environmental efficiency. Our IT asset management services allow you to consolidate, organize and pilot all data related to your IT inventory (laptops, screens, smartphones, routers…) to better amortize your carbon and financial footprint. This helps us understand how your users are interacting with their devices so that you can better manage your IT assets and plan for decarbonization.

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