The era of Digital Market Explosive Growth & Sustainability Challenges

We are entering a new era of digital activity. The increase in usage of the  Internet of Things, Cloud, and Smart Cities, paired with better connectivity is making the digitalisation of our economy move at an unprecedented pace. But, what is the “price” we must pay due to this large  ICT energy consumption? What are the costs for the Earth and the  financial costs for organisations?

There is a pressing need for the European ICT sector to become energy efficient and sustainable. The  ICT industry accounts for approximately 2 percent of global CO2 emissions, a figure equivalent to aviation. With 10 million SMEs in the EU, ICT can save up to €600 billion & decrease 15% of carbon emissions in 2020, by becoming energy efficient.

So, the solution is simple: To  adopt sustainable ICT procedures within our organisations, right? The problem is, this is when the real challenge starts… Around 55% of ICT companies find it hard to make resource efficiency a part of their core business. The most common barriers are the lack of awareness, tangible benefits, and knowledge to identify the right solutions for their  business. It  is therefore surprising that nearly 70% of 150 IT decision makers in the UK, France and Germany do not have a system in place to measure environmental impact (Datacenter Converge Europe, 2015).

If You Can't Measure It, You Can't Improve! Raising awareness on the environmental impact of ICT is the first step for reducing it. This is when the Self-Assessment Tool for Organisations (SAT-O) comes into play.

SAT-O: get to know  your ICT carbon footprint to make informed sustainable decisions

SAT-O, launched by ICTFOOTPRINT.eu, is a free and simple  tool that easily gives you an overall vision of  the carbon and energy footprint of your organisation. It was specifically  developed for ICT private and public organisations (Large, Small & Medium Enterprises) and Public Administrators, that wish  to better understand their ICT carbon footprint.

The SAT-O, which relies on a light reading style, shows the approximate primary energy footprint of your ICT-intensive organisation assessed over one year. But this does not end here! The report also suggests actions to decrease the impact of your ICT in environment and make  energy savings.

ICT Standards: valuable guides to get benefits & improve competitiveness

Today, there are several ICT carbon and energy footprint Standards that can be used to access  ICT goods, services, and organisations.  Although, existing ICT calculation methodologies and their respective characteristics and focus areas are far from being widely known, with the exception of expert  consultants.

The work behind the development of SAT-O consisted of  putting distinct ICT methodologies into  practice and implementing them in a simple, easy-to-use tool, allowing users without a strong expertise in ICT to use it and interpret the results listed in the report.

Standard Methodologies considered in the SAT-0 and other initiatives related with carbon footprint measurement in ICT are listed in the online interactive Map of ICT Standards, with simple factsheets about each standard, available to  download.

Use the SAT-O now & make wise decisions towards ICT sustainability in your organisation