Digital technology: How to limit its environmental impact

In the face of global warming, digital technology is often presented as a key enabler for developing technological solutions to decarbonize our economies. The idea is that digital services can replace activities that are currently major sources of carbon emissions. But this analysis is incomplete if we ignore how dependent the digital sector itself is on fossil fuels.

What is the real impact of digital technology on our environment? Which best practices can we adopt in digital marketing to fully support the energy transition? Let’s take a closer look.

Scal-e has summarized key findings from reliable sources* and suggests concrete actions you can take to reduce your carbon footprint.

* All the data in this article comes from the following trusted sources: the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME), the French Electronic Communications, Postal and Print media distribution Regulatory Authority (ARCEP), and The Shift Project.

Facts and figures

The environmental impact of digital technology is attracting growing attention. The carbon footprint of digital products and services is too often overlooked compared with that of physical goods. Yet, according to a 2022 joint report by ADEME and ARCEP, digital technology now accounts for 4% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (more than civil aviation) and 2.5% of France’s national carbon footprint. While this may still seem modest compared with other sectors, the annual growth in digital consumption (data volumes, devices, etc.) is a concern: its global carbon impact is rising significantly, by 6–8% per year. At this pace, in just four years, digital technology would emit as much as the entire global fleet of cars.

Within this overall picture, the production phase of devices (computers, smartphones, etc.) plays a central role. In France, it is responsible for the majority of environmental impacts (65–92%), followed by data centers (4–20%) and networks (4–13%).

A footprint that goes beyond greenhouse gases

Beyond greenhouse gas emissions – especially in a country like France, where the electricity mix is relatively low carbon – we need to broaden how we think about the environmental footprint of digital technology. That means considering the entire life cycle of networks, equipment, and devices, using a multi-criteria approach (rare earths, water, primary energy, etc.), as well as their lifespan and end-of-life management (re-use, refurbishment, recycling).

A visualization produced by ADEME and ARCEP, as part of a government-commissioned study, maps the environmental footprint of digital technology in France across the full life cycle of equipment and infrastructure – a first of its kind.

Source: https://infos.ademe.fr/magazine-avril-2022/faits-et-chiffres/numerique-quel-impact-environnemental/

How is the carbon footprint of a digital product calculated?

Since 2018, the carbon footprint of a product or service has been governed by the ISO 14067 standard. This framework enables all types of organizations to calculate the carbon footprint of their products and better understand how to reduce it. The logic is similar to a corporate carbon footprint, but focused on a specific product or service, so it covers a narrower scope.

The footprint is calculated over the entire life cycle of the product: from sourcing raw materials, through logistics, in-house production, delivery, usage, and finally end-of-life. Growing demand from customers and subcontractors for environmentally responsible products is driving this type of analysis. Greater transparency on product footprints now has a direct impact on revenue.

This is where the concept of Green IT – or green computing – comes in. It refers to technologies and practices designed to reduce the digital carbon footprint of companies. Every organization emits CO₂, in particular through:

• Manufacturing digital devices, including the extraction of raw materials (computers, phones, tablets, etc.).
• Using these devices, which is closely tied to electricity consumption.

In this sense, mobile devices, data centers, the cloud, and networks are the most energy-intensive components.

Source: ADEME Base Carbone

Reducing the digital carbon footprint: a key challenge for meeting the Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement calls for cutting global emissions from 40 billion tCO₂e to 10 billion tCO₂e by 2050. If digital emissions continue to grow at their current rate until 2025, then merely stabilize, they would still account for around 30% of our total carbon budget in 2050. It is therefore essential to act now to reduce the environmental footprint of this sector.

High-impact tips to reduce your digital carbon footprint

The split of emissions between devices, networks, and data centers (see infographic referenced above) shows that the single most powerful lever for decarbonizing the sector lies in device manufacturing. This implies the following measures:

• Limit the number of devices per person.
• Extend the lifespan of IT equipment to avoid frequent replacement. This is the single most impactful action you can take to reduce your digital environmental footprint.
• Prioritize second-hand or refurbished equipment to drastically cut emissions associated with manufacturing.
• Feed unused IT equipment into refurbishment or recycling channels instead of leaving it in storage.

Other levers related to how equipment is used

• Prefer fixed internet connections whenever possible. They consume less electricity than mobile networks. The energy consumption of mobile networks, relative to the volume of data (in GB), is three times higher than that of fixed networks. That’s a strong incentive to use Wi‑Fi on your phone or tablet whenever you can, instead of mobile data.
• Reduce the number and size of screens.
• Favor text or audio content where possible, as they require far fewer digital resources than video content.

Scal-e takes action!

At Scal-e, we are putting these principles into practice and working continuously to reduce our own footprint.

100% of our servers are physical and hosted locally (in France for our French customers).

Every year, we carry out a comprehensive carbon assessment (Scopes 1, 2, and 3) with Greenly, a leader in carbon-tracking solutions, using a methodology certified by ADEME. For 2023, we achieved the highest possible rating: Diamond, a distinction awarded to only about 1% of audited French companies.

Scal-e is officially committed to an ambitious three-year climate strategy, which has enabled us to obtain Net Zero Contributor certification. We are proud to contribute – at our scale – to the global objective of carbon neutrality by 2050.

We have established a partnership with Ecodair to purchase secure, refurbished IT equipment. All our used equipment is systematically refurbished or, failing that, recycled.

Our teams use wired Ethernet connections in our offices worldwide. It is not only more sustainable, but also more secure.

We prioritize text and image content in our internal and external communications and use videoconferencing only when strictly necessary.

We regularly review our IT needs: we track unused applications and hardware to avoid unnecessary energy consumption.

By doing this, we demonstrate that we can effectively reduce our emissions over several years and that our solution offers a lower-carbon alternative within its market.

The digital sector can become a powerful lever for the energy transition. To make that happen, it is crucial to systematize carbon accounting for digital products and services, so we can ensure that the climate benefits generated by these solutions outweigh their emissions. More on this in our next installment!