Energy consumption in the ICT sector accounts for almost 10% of electricity consumption in the European Union. By decreasing emissions by just 15%, the ICT sector can make savings of €600 billion by 2020.

The 18^th May 2016, had a select group of experts striving for a greener economy gathered in Brussels to discuss the adoption across the European Union of new energy efficiency metrics and methodologies in the drive towards greener and more sustainable ICT-Information and Communication Technologies.

The meeting hosted at the European Commission premises was a first step towards consensus building around the value of ICTFOOTPRINT.eu, a timely European initiative for creating awareness on energy efficiency best practices while giving ICT players the tools they need to put them into practice.

Lowering entry barriers to energy efficiency

Deloitte Sustainability highlighted a major concern emerging from its most recent survey. Almost 50% of the companies surveyed are unfamiliar about ICT methodologies designed to help their organisations become more energy efficient, which clearly impedes cost reductions and ultimately environmental impact. Barriers to implementing the necessary actions span lack of time, incentives, knowledge and especially lack of tangible evidence about benefits to be gained.

These findings helped to shape the agenda of the ‘End-user requirements gathering and validation’ meeting with its focus on the role of ICTFOOTPRINT.eu in enabling practical implementation with affordable investments in effective methodologies, which are key to reaching energy efficiency targets and facilitating sustainable energy strategies.

New ICT Marketplace and Services on the Horizon

ICTFOOTPRINT.eu will be launching its ICT marketplace in summer 2016, connecting the demand and supply sides, where SMEs interested in adopting low-carbon footprint solutions can match their requirements with solutions available. Not only will the marketplace help level the playing field, it will also go a long way in speeding up the adoption of energy efficient ICT solutions.

Complementary value-add services from ICTFOOTPRINT.eu is a new suite of webinars to facilitate the adoption of a common framework driven by ICTFOOTPRINT.eu. But it doesn’t stop here, December 2016 sees the launch online services, free for users to help raise awareness on this important topic.

Consensus building

Participants spanning ICT experts and representatives of the European Commission concur that ICTFOOTPRINT.eu marks an important step towards enabling ICT players (users or suppliers of ICT products and solutions) of all sizes in adopting new metrics and novel approaches by helping them calculate their ICT energy and carbon footprint free of charge. ICTFOOTPRINT.eu will be particularly important in lowering investment barriers for SMEs, demonstrating energy cost savings, better brand recognition and sustainable business development.

Participant affiliations

Deloitte Sustainability, ECOS, eG4U, EURECA Project, EUROCITIES, European Commission – DG CONNECT, European DIGITAL SME Alliance, Green IT Amsterdam, Hitachi, TechUK, Telecom Italia, The Green Grid, Trust-IT Services and University of East London

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