Green IT: Reducing the Environmental Footprint of Digital Technologies for a Sustainable Future
Introduction: The Urgency of a Digital Wake-Up Call
In today’s world, where digital transformation continues to accelerate, the environmental impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) often remains underestimated. However, digital technologies are responsible for a significant share of global ecological damage—estimated between two-thirds and three-quarters of the total environmental footprint attributed to human activity.
This article provides a comprehensive overview of the current environmental challenges posed by ICT and outlines Green IT best practices and eco-design principles that can help individuals, organizations, and governments pave the way toward a greener digital future.
1. The Alarming Facts: Environmental Impact of ICT
Some Key Statistics
80% of ancient forests have already disappeared.
42% of commercialized wood is used for paper production.
It takes 10x more energy to manufacture an A4 sheet than to print it.
92% of a printer’s energy use occurs in sleep mode.
Mobile phones are replaced every 24 to 36 months on average.
70% of IT repairs do not require new parts—most problems are software-related.
80% of replaced PCs and smartphones are still functional but discarded due to performance issues caused by poor software management.
2. Triple Crisis: Climate, Biodiversity, and Resource Depletion
ICT is a significant driver of:
Climate Change: Through GHG emissions, deforestation, and energy consumption,
Biodiversity Loss: Due to pollution and mining for rare earth metals,
Resource Overuse: Encompassing minerals, water, and energy.
These impacts arise across the three main stages of the product life cycle:
Extraction and Manufacturing,
Use and Consumption,
End-of-life and Disposal.
3. The digital technology footprint can be reduced by acting on 4 factors of the ICT products Lifecycle
Manufacturing: 60% of total footprint,
Use: 30%,
Recycling: 4%,
Transport: 1%,
Other Minor Factors: 5%.
Manufacturing and Extraction: A Heavy Toll
A microchip requires 16,000 times its weight in raw materials.
A laptop necessitates 100x its weight in extracted materials.
A smartphone weighing 120g requires 70kg of raw materials.
International organizations created Eco-Labels to make it easier for buyers and consumers to choose the least harmful product. (refer to https://www.ecolabelindex.com/ecolabels/)
Eco-labels can guide more sustainable purchases. For instance, eco-labeled PCs use up to 3x less energy than standard models and are built with reparability in mind.
The Hidden Cost of Use and Consumption
Breakdown of Carbon Footprint (as per ADEME, Arcep, NégaOctet – 2025)
Workstations, Smartphones, Printers, etc.: 50%,
Servers and Data Centers: 46%,
Network Equipment: 4%.
At energy consumption level, according to a 2020 estimate, Workstations, Smartphones, Printers, etc account for approximately 34% of the total energy used by information and communication technologies (ICT), which equals about 3% of global electricity consumption; this stage represents only 15% of their lifecycle environmental footprint. (The most important one is related to the manufacturing).
This energy consumption is comparable to that of communication networks (36%) and data centers (30%). (digitalinformationworld.com)
Dematerialization, while reducing physical production, has its own digital cost:
Data storage is responsible for 25% of IT energy consumption in corporate world,
Transporting data consumes twice as much energy as storing it for a year,
Video streaming accounts for 80% of global data flow.
4. Given the seriousness of the situation, the solution would lie in adopting the Green IT.
Hereby a list of the most common Green IT best practices to reduce the power consumption of the ICT equipment and their emission of GreenHouse Gases:
A. Reducing the Manufacturing Impact
Extend equipment lifespan: Prioritize repair, reconditioning, and reuse,
Buy refurbished or second-hand devices where we can save 60 to 80% on the price of new devices,
Rent equipment instead of buying,
Purchase eco-labeled hardware.
Key hardware guidelines:
Dimension hardware to actual needs. 72% of corporate networks are oversized (Easynet),
Favor laptops over desktops for energy savings,
Prioritize durable, repairable, upgradable equipment with at least 5-year warranties.
B. Sustainable Use Practices
Turn off unused equipment,
Set energy-saving defaults: Enable auto standby after 15 minutes,
Avoid screen savers,
Maintain ICT equipment to prevent them from slowing down and becoming unstable,
Optimize printing: Use duplex mode, grayscale, draft mode, eco-fonts like Century Gothic,
Minimize paper use: Embrace digital documentation,
Use shared resources: e.g., multifunction printers, server virtualization,
Streamline email practices: Send links instead of attachments,
Regularly clean up unused software and applications,
Use WiFi over GSM/3G/4G: Up to 2x energy savings,
Opt for the energy source with the lowest environmental impact,
Etc.
5. Eco-Design: The Core Strategy
Eco-design, following standards such as ISO 14006, is crucial for both hardware and software. It incorporates environmental criteria into every phase of product development. It concers :
Software : Accessibility and Eco-design for Websites, Applications, emails, Video files,…
Hardware : Eco-design at manufacturing of all ICT equipment and Data Centers (Building and equipment).
Accessibility as a Pillar of CSR
When it comes to eco-design, we should not focus only on energy saving and reducing GreenHouse Gases, but we should think about equity, like the accessibility to people with disabilities, to meet with the Corporate Social Responsibilty (CSR), one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to transform our world, that the United Nations included In 2030 Agenda (ISO 26000).
Hereafter some of the Best Practices for Accessibility to the content:
Use clear, inclusive language (avoid complex words and complex sentences, include a clear summary, define acronyms, …),
Design for color blindness and visual impairments,
Align with standards such as W3C/WAI.
For Software Eco-Design (desktop and web applications) :
Simplicity (fewer features, fewer pages), UX has a strong impact on this element, because it is the design that will determine the paths of the future website,
Relevance (minimizing the time to do a task): UX is also very important to optimize processes and the fluidity of web surfing,
Frugality (optimized code, ecological server, lightweight images, etc.): it is rather the integration and the technique that will impact these elements,
Data and application governance,
Modular application architecture,
Optimize print reports and outputs,
Energy efficiency varies greatly by language and architecture:
Compiled languages (C, C++, Rust) are more energy-efficient than interpreted ones (Python, Ruby).
Refactoring can yield energy savings of up to 10%.
Optimizing SQL queries significantly improves performance and lowers energy use.
Virtualization and application cohabitation improve resource sharing. The experiments reported on up to 12.9% of potential energy saving against only 2.5% of performance loss.
To conclude:
The eco-design doesn’t just impact the planet. A site designed in a light and intelligent way will favor other elements:
– Social equity:
a simple and uncluttered site will be more accessible on old devices (for Low-income population),
a clean code adapted to disability will allow the site to be accessible to all.
– Economic performance: faster loading times, less energy consumption, Lower energy power bills,
– Ecologic advantages: less GreenHouse Gas emissions.
6. Data Centers: A Model for Eco-Design Excellence
Particularly energy-intensive, the Data Centers – gigantic sites that host computer data and information systems for businesses and individuals in mainframes and servers – represented 4% (of global energy consumption in 2015, and reached 7,8% in 2020 (according to MOP2).
They are big producers of so-called waste heat. Their cooling systems alone absorb up to 40% of the total energy consumed by a Data Center.
Accoding to ADEME 2022 reports, the Data centers currently consume 2% of the world’s energy (after the big efforts that were made to their design).
The International Energy Agency predicts doubling by 2026 without intervention. The increase in data volume is estimated at +20% per year.
Thus the major digital operators have been undertaking ambitious actions for several years aimed at achieving carbon neutrality. The main focus has been on :
the use of innovative and renewable energy solutions (on site generation, local energy supply),
the design of more energy-efficient infrastructures (Eco-design),
and the reuse of the fatal heat in the vicinity of the Data Center. A solution to optimize Data Center performance and energy consumption.
Best Practices for Data Centers
Optimize data volume and code,
Use free cooling techniques,
Reuse waste heat for local heating,
Invest in renewable energy, virtualization of the servers and modular infrastructure.
For more information, refer to Standard ISO 14006, ANSI/TIA-942, the European Code of Conduct for Eco-Design and the EU Directive 2019/424 of the European Commission of 15 March 2019.
Real-world examples:
Google (California site), saved 61% of electricity by removing 5,000 servers (virtualization).
A French retailer reduced response time from 12s to 5s by optimizing SQL queries.
7. End-of-Life: Circular Economy and Responsible Disposal
Recycling alone is not enough. Reuse is key:
Promote repair and reconditioning.
Reassign equipment internally or partner with social economy actors for reuse.
Ensure WEEE collection through certified professionals and prevent illegal exports and the use of child labor in rare metal recovery. Refer to Basel environmental convention.
Respect international agreements like the Basel Convention.
Conclusion: A Collective Commitment
Green IT is a matter of conscious behavior and collective will. From procurement to disposal, every phase of an ICT product’s life offers opportunities for positive environmental action.
The key challenge is awareness. Governments, companies, and educational institutions must collaborate to intensify Green IT campaigns, integrate sustainability into curricula, and enforce environmentally responsible standards.
Green IT is no longer optional—it is essential for a sustainable digital future.
References : ADEME-Arcep-NégaOctet, Agence LUCIE, GreenIt.fr, Institut Numérique Responsable, Point de MIR, WeGreenIT, WWF, HAL Id: tel-03554712.