HOW BUSINESSES CAN BOOST DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY
There are many ways we can all contribute towards a more sustainable world. The business sector can do so by boosting digital sustainability.
Around the world, millions of people and businesses use computers, servers, printers, mobile phones, office kitchen appliances, work cars, satellites, and a range of other information technologies for work.
This burgeoning use of information technology and digital tools uses significant amounts of energy, produces carbon emissions that contribute to climate change, results in e-waste which often contains hazardous materials and other resources that aren’t always reused or recycled, and results in significant packaging waste and use of scarce materials.
The environmental impacts of business-related digital activities can be significant. But they can also be minimised through conscious planning and supportive business policies.
As businesses are becoming more aware of their impacts on sustainability and how they can transition to more sustainable use of IT, many are also championing innovative new business models, technology, and policies to lead the way toward a greener business sector that embraces the shift towards green IT.
The transition towards more sustainable IT can also bring with it various business and cost benefits such as improved efficiency, enhanced brand reputation, and decreased energy and operating costs.
And by shifting the use of digital technology and business IT infrastructure to being more sustainable, businesses can contribute significantly to helping the world meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals, while also enhancing their reputations as sustainability leaders.
To help responsible businesses improve their digital sustainability journeys, we’ve put together a list of activities that businesses can take to accelerate their sustainable digital transformation.
What are digital sustainability and green IT?
Most businesses use a range of digital technologies. From computers, laptops, printers, IoT devices, mobile phones, smart sensors, and AI - digitization is one of the world’s leading megatrends.
Although there are many benefits to digitization, there are also many caveats. To foster digital sustainability, businesses need to consciously plan ahead to develop and use digital technologies in a way that supports environmental sustainability.
According to the Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES), a UN alliance, “The future of humanity and the health of planet Earth depend to a large extent on how we undergo this digital transformation. We have an opportunity to drive this transformation in a manner that helps build a healthier, safer, cleaner, and more equitable future, rather than one of exacerbated environmental degradation, inequality, and social division.”
In fact, digitization is so ubiquitous that its continued widespread adoption is now considered crucial to achieving progress on the UN SDGs.
Green IT (also referred to as ICT sustainability or green computing) aims to enhance resource efficiency, and energy efficiency and minimise the use of hazardous materials, while also moving towards a more circular design and sustainable procurement of ICT resources.
Many businesses now have green IT teams that aim to make their businesses operate more sustainably, reducing carbon emissions, and electronic waste and minimising their use of other resources. Some are also going one step further and actively aim to be carbon-negative, water-positive, and zero waste.
It’s estimated that the information and communication technology (ICT) sector produces around 1.8 to 3.9 percent of global greenhouse gases and that data centres use around 3 percent of global energy consumption. That provides a significant opportunity for the ICT sector to decarbonize and transition towards becoming greener and more sustainable.
How does the digital space (and digitisation) affect sustainability?
Digital technology and digitisation have many environmental impacts, which can be negative and need mitigating. But digitisation can also be a force for good that can help accelerate sustainability.
Below we look at some examples of how the digital space affects sustainability.
The digital space has various negative environmental impacts, which include:
It contributes to global carbon emissions (e.g. from the fossil-fuel-based power used to cool servers and power IT infrastructure)
It adds waste to landfill (where it’s not re-purposed or recycled)
It contributes to toxic chemicals entering office environments, landfills, etc.
IT infrastructure can take up significant space within offices and buildings, which ultimately uses more land and resources to create and maintain
The digital space can also be used to help drive sustainability and innovate new sustainable solutions that transform the future of work, which includes:
Enables more remote work
Facilitates virtual meetings
Reduces the use of paper through digitisation
Enables cloud computing and cloud storage
Creates digital tools to monitor business sustainability
Enhances energy efficiency and resource efficiency
Enables the use of smart metering and AI in green office building design etc.
Key actions to transition your business to a greener digital space (and accelerate sustainable digital transformation)
The following are some of the actions your business can take to transition to a greener digital space and accelerate your sustainable digital transformation.
#1 Sustainable procurement
By committing to buying sustainable digital products and services, businesses can help to green their digital footprints. That includes choosing to use service providers that incorporate sustainability into their operations and that offer sustainable products and services.
For example, businesses can support cloud service providers that are powered by renewables. And, organisations can also adopt sustainable procurement policies to reduce consumption by, for example, by requiring printer cartridges to be refilled instead of buying new ones - or mandating the purchase of refurbished laptops instead of buying new ones.
Businesses can also support sustainable procurement by making use of green offsets, opting for green hosting packages, buying printers and phones that have Energy Star ratings or sustainability certifications, and even measuring their own cloud carbon footprints.
When buying digital products and services, look out to see if they are designed to be recycled, if they incorporate recycled materials, if they can extend the product’s lifecycle if their packaging is recyclable, and if they have reduced or avoided the amount of toxic chemicals to manufacture the product.
#2 Consider sustainable business certifications
There are a range of environmental and sustainability certifications to consider as a business if you’re interested in making a positive impact on people, the planet, and your bottom line. For example, becoming a certified BCorp means that your organisation is committed to an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy.
#3 Use and support energy-saving technology and renewables
There is a range of energy-efficient digital appliances and devices that businesses can use to make their operations greener. That includes renewable power, green building design, smart metres, smart IoT devices, green AI tools, etc.
Businesses can also support service providers that have green IT policies - for example, cloud hosts that have energy-efficient and renewable-powered data centres.
#4 Transition to cloud services
There’s currently a rapid transition happening amongst businesses towards adopting a range of innovative cloud technologies. That includes cloud-based email, cloud storage, cloud backup, and other cloud-based services.
Cloud technologies can help to minimise carbon emissions and the use of company IT resources, because cloud solutions are readily scalable and flexible and negate the need for on-premise servers and other IT infrastructure.
Once a business is able to reduce its physical IT infrastructure needs, they can also save physical office space and they can reduce their energy consumption.
Many cloud service providers are committing to going green. Using a green cloud provider can further ensure your commitment to sustainability. Microsoft for example plans to be carbon-negative, zero waste, and water-positive by 2030.
#5 Create a business culture of sustainability
In addition to training and empowering staff to be more sustainable in their daily work lives, it’s also important to cultivate a positive business culture of sustainability. That requires an active and intentional commitment by senior staff and business owners to lead by example and mainstream sustainability into all business operations and activities.
Cultivating a culture of sustainability within an organisation can also be done through team-building exercises, motivational talks, supporting sustainable innovation, and by honouring team and staff sustainability achievements and sustainability leaders.
Organisations can also embed sustainability into company culture through positive messaging on social media, by updating staff about environmental policies, and internal communication.
Some organisations also like to create sustainability teams who can help to think of new ideas to get staff involved in actively contributing towards increased sustainability and championing sustainability campaigns and actions.
These staff sustainability initiatives may extend to how companies communicate and do business with external third parties, partners, and service providers. For example, if you outsource your social media management, you may want to look for an eco-marketing agency or social media agency in Australia like Green Socials that is equally committed to sustainability.
By creating a culture of sustainability, staff will not only become more aware of the impacts of their actions but will also be more incentivised and motivated to make a positive environmental contribution through greener IT practices.
#6 Adopt a zero waste policy, reduce e-waste and promote recycling
A necessary part of digitising is investing in digital infrastructure and technology. But, that can also result in a lot of electronic waste.
Businesses can help make their digitisation greener by reducing e-waste and promoting recycling and re-use of computers, monitors, keypads, and another digital tech. Ultimately, businesses can also adopt a zero-waste policy.
Supporting the use of products that are designed to be circular is another way of reducing e-waste. And using digital technology that is designed to be modular, scalable, flexible, and compatible is another way of helping to ensure that the products you buy won’t soon be obsolete and land in a landfill.
#7 Train your staff about green IT and digital sustainability
Businesses can also lead by example, and empower their staff to be more sustainable by training them about green IT principles, digital sustainability and the impacts of IT and digital tools on the environment. Staff can help to enhance overall business sustainability by greening their use of IT and digital devices. For example, staff can switch off computers at the end of each work day, and keep printers and connected devices switched off until they’re needed. They can also opt for virtual meetings instead of in-person meetings that require travel and can use power-saving apps.
Providing staff with green IT tips can also help to promote a culture of sustainability in the workplace. For example, realising that streaming videos at lower resolutions can save power, can help to change behaviour. Or becoming aware of the fact that voice calls use less energy than video calls, can empower staff to make more sustainable choices.
#8 Adopt a green IT policy
Establishing a business green IT policy can help provide a strategy for ensuring both a more sustainable digital space, as well as action on general corporate sustainability. Your green IT policy can specify green procurement objectives, resource efficiency targets, re-use, and recycling standards, and can also detail how and how often to conduct monitoring of your policy and targets.
Your green IT policy may, for example, also specify that all staff should stop using screen savers, that staff should meet virtually where possible, that printing be reduced and that an energy management system be implemented to help minimise energy consumption.
When it comes to creating a green IT policy, consider having a process for contracting services providers that also have strong environmental policies and commitments. For example, if you’re choosing an ethical social media agency in Australia, you may want to consider an agency like Green Socials which is committed to working with sustainable brands, and being a sustainable brand. We’re a member of 1% for the Planet, the Ethical Move and we’re committed to using service providers who are also dedicated to sustainability in business.
Final thoughts on greening your IT
Information technology helps businesses to survive and thrive - staying competitive and adapting to new work frontiers and megatrends. There are many ways in which IT positively impacts business operations and profits, and IT solutions can also help businesses become more sustainable in many ways.
However, many aspects of business IT use involve negative environmental impacts. That ranges from large digital carbon footprints related to servers and IT infrastructure that are powered by fossil fuels, to e-waste resulting from a linear IT economy.
Businesses can transition to being more sustainable in the digital space by being more conscious and mindful of their impacts on the environment. It’s therefore critical that forward-thinking businesses integrate sustainability into their digitisation journeys and plans, their environmental and social governance, and their overall IT policies. Adopting a green IT policy is one of the first steps in this process.
There are also various actions that businesses can take to be more environmentally conscious in the digital sphere. From transitioning to cloud services, enhancing energy efficiency, setting sustainable procurement targets, and creating a business culture of sustainability.
Just as marketing and sustainability don’t have to be a mismatch, so too is the same true for IT and sustainability. In many cases, the business benefits of digital sustainability can help to enhance productivity, efficiency, compliance, business reputation, and financial performance.
