Meeting with Olivier Vergeynst, Director of the Belgian Institute for Sustainable IT.
How can we reduce the environmental footprint of our digital uses?
We often think that the impact of digital technology comes mainly from data centers. But for the average home or office user, the main impact comes from their equipment (smartphones, laptops, screens, televisions, etc.)! It is the manufacture of this equipment that has the greatest impact (around 80%), whereas the impact of its use is much more limited[1]. For a company, the priority should be to limit the purchase of equipment. In practical terms, there are several things we can do: extend the lifespan of equipment, buy reconditioned equipment (particularly interesting for SMEs and NPOs), resell or donate used IT equipment to associations to give it a second life, etc. In conclusion, I would say that the aim is to reduce the quantity of new equipment.
Another approach would be to limit the number of additional screens connected to laptops and avoid placing screens on low occupancy desks. The same applies to televisions in companies. Do we really need screens in entrance halls, lifts, etc.? The idea would be to do without them.
Can we act as an employee?
Of course, you can!
Every employee can act by taking care of its equipment. If I take the example of an iPhone, it’s essential to preserve the battery: don’t go below 20% charge and don’t go above 80%. If the battery is out of order, it’s better to replace it rather than buy a new iPhone… And of course, protect it with a cover, so that the screen doesn’t break the first time you drop it. Taking care of your laptop means, for example, avoiding placing paper sheets on the keyboard, as this affects ventilation and therefore cooling, and remembering to dust it regularly… These small everyday actions can make a big difference to the lifespan of your equipment.
At the same time, we can also act on the use. Today, one of the most energy-intensive applications is AI[1] (generative AI products). Generating images and videos, requesting AI support to carry out a search, writing text or LinkedIn posts, etc. has a significant impact, as these actions make heavy use of data centers. In this regard, we must all ask ourselves ‘Is it essential to use AI for this type of use or would it not be preferable to limit the use of AI when it has real added value?
Within our working environment, there are other small things we could be looking out for:
- Videos: is it essential to use images continuously and for all participants during videoconferences?
- E-mails: think about making e-mails lighter (logos in signatures, attachments, etc.) and cleaning up the mailboxes by deleting e-mails that are too old as for archiving and back-up
Another area not to be overlooked is the website and transactional applications developed by the company for its customers. At this level, the company also can act, in what is known as the digital services eco-design approach. By questioning business needs and developing its services differently, the company will reduce its requirements in terms of number of servers or cloud capacity; it will reduce its environmental footprint, facilitate the maintenance of its applications, and reduce its costs on the medium and long term. And it will often gain in conversion rates and user satisfaction!
In conclusion, I would say that the role of the employee remains crucial, because it is from within the company that the impetus for change must come, even if actions must be planned and synchronized by the company to avoid isolated and uncoordinated initiatives.
How can we measure the impact of the use of social media?
This is certainly another area where we can all act! Various platforms such as TikTok, Facebook and Instagram use large quantities of data and are therefore very energy intensive. But in my opinion, the ‘addiction’ aspect is even more problematic – it’s a real social problem! Added to this are the reactions we meet on these platforms: rejection of others, aggression, etc. For the time being, these factors seem to me to be even more worrying than energy consumption.
To find out more about the environmental challenges of digital technology and how to minimize the impact of digital equipment, uses and services, we suggest you visit the website of the Belgian Institute for Sustainable IT → https://isit-be.org
[1] Unlike data centers, where 80% of the impact comes from energy consumption rather than manufacturing. In this case, the renewal and modernization of servers can have a significant impact on consumption.
[2] Each query consumes 10 times more electricity than a Google search. Source : https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/18f3ed24-4b26-4c83-a3d2-8a1be51c8cc8/Electricity2024-Analysisandforecastto2026.pdf
