The Green IT approach for a more efficient organization

Digital is polluting, and it is polluting more and more. It is estimated that the latter is responsible for 4% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide (5% in France), 1.5 times more than civil aviation. In France, the environmental impact of digital technology represents 10.2% of water consumption and 6.2% of primary energy (Source: Green IT).

In light of these figures, it is easier to see the importance for companies to engage in a more responsible approach, first with an ethical concern but also with performance. In France, the recent adoption at the end of 2021 of the REEN law aimed at reducing the environmental footprint of digital technology shows a fundamental dynamic on these issues and encourages the transformation of organizations in this field.

How to engage in a Green IT approach and make your organization more efficient? How can the challenge of digital transition converge with that of energy transition?

1- What is Green IT? 

The notion of Green IT is a moving notion, which evolves in line with the maturity of companies and stakeholders on this subject.

The first attempt at definition dates from 2009 by the collective greenit.fr.

Green IT, or responsible digital, refers to the practices implemented by the company to reduce the ecological and societal footprint related to the use of new information and communication technologies (ICT).

This responsible digital approach is divided into 3 parts, each with their own challenges and interlocutors. Actions can be carried out in parallel on these three dimensions.

Green IT 1.0 or Green for IT refers to the approach of responsible digital design or CNR, which is understood at the scale of a project, service or digital product. Thus, companies that work to optimize the performance of their IT infrastructures, seeking to reduce their consumption, by pooling their resources are part of this Green IT 1.0 approach.

Green IT 1.5 refers to the design of a Sustainable Development Information System (SIDD), by putting Information and Communication Technologies at the service of sustainable development. The deployment of software to manage the company’s CSR policy, a responsible purchasing approach, etc. All of these initiatives fall under Green IT 1.5. The other component of Green IT 1.5 aims to reduce the environmental impact of the organization in the physical sense of the term. Also, the initiatives of flex office, or the encouragement to telework enter this approach.

With Green IT 2.0, we are aiming to reduce business impacts thanks to NICTs. We are talking about IT for Green. The use of ICT is then considered in a continuous improvement approach beyond their own perimeter, to create disruptive eco-innovations.

These three dimensions of Green IT are therefore complementary and companies can initiate initiatives in each of these areas.

2- What are the expected benefits of a Green IT approach? 

The first expected benefit is naturally environmental because it is a question of reducing the carbon footprint of its organization. However, the underlying economic impacts are obviously present and reputational ones are not to be overlooked.

A company that is committed to a Green IT and eco-design approach gets to know its products and services better. In doing so, it can identify improvements related to the quality of its product, develop new features or identify new suppliers responding to a responsible purchasing issue. This means that it can reduce costs, optimise processes and save money.

In addition, consumers are increasingly attentive to the company’s CSR positioning. The image of the latter on these issues will play increasingly on the appeal of consumers for the brand, and ultimately on sales. Thus, 45% of European consumers say they prefer brands that are clearly committed to a sustainable development approach (Future of Commerce 2022, Shopify). The question of the durability of products but also their ability to be repaired become criteria of choice for the consumer, especially since this is now the subject of mandatory regulations for manufacturers in France (repairability index implemented on 1 January 2021 under the 2020 anti-waste law).

Far from being a fad, responsible consumption is a background blade that transforms consumer behavior. It is then about consuming better, more sustainable, more local but also to consume less. A recent study by the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology in Sydney details that we would need to reduce our new textile purchases by 75% to reach a “responsible wardrobe” goal. This is also true in the Green IT approach: behavioural change is at the heart of the approach, applying the principles of CSR to the field of ICT. In order not to fall into Greenwashing, we must agree to move towards a form of digital sobriety and transform its uses.

 

3- What methods to initiate a Green IT approach?

Companies can rely on two types of methods to engage in a Green IT approach.

The first is the life cycle analysis (LCA) of the product or service. All incoming and outgoing flows (electricity, raw materials, greenhouse gas emissions, etc.) are then inventoried throughout the life of a product or service: manufacturing, transport, marketing, use, and end of life. Series of the ISO 14040 standard are used to frame the analysis.

Would you like to be supported in this process? Discover Tool for Environmental Assessment & Measurement, the PwC product dedicated to life cycle analysis to reduce your carbon footprint.

The other method is that of eco-design, governed by a large number of standards (among the main ones, ISO 14006 v2020, NF X30-264, IEC 62430, etc.) and cited as one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Goal 12 referring to “sustainable production and consumption patterns”. Finally, this method considers the environmental aspects of the design and development process with the aim of reducing negative environmental impacts throughout the life cycle of a product (ISO14006 v2020).

You now see the value of the approach, but you wonder how to measure the carbon footprint of your infrastructure and establish an associated action plan?