Green IT: digitalisation and sustainability go hand in hand

Not that long ago, digitalisation brought far-reaching changes to the business world. The issue of corporate sustainability is now further increasing the pressure to digitalise. Having sustainable IT infrastructures and processes can help companies reduce their consumption of energy and materials and lower their greenhouse gas emissions. A company’s system landscape can therefore play a key role in the successful implementation of its sustainability strategy. The IT department’s competence and expertise are also needed for collecting and managing sustainability data.

Green IT – an important element of a sustainable company

Increasingly more companies are having to address the issue of sustainability and not just in response to new regulatory requirements such as the CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive), SFDR (Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation), and the EU taxonomy. In all such considerations, IT also plays an important role. The structural shift toward a green "sustainable IT" landscape is preordained by the further digitalisation of work, and exponentially greater volumes of data and data transmissions. After all, digital processes also involve costs and resources. Corporate IT is therefore a crucial field of action for the further development of one’s own sustainability.

How green computing impacts corporate sustainability

The added value for companies provided by green IT is not only reflected in cost and resource savings. The use of environmentally friendly products and services provides further benefits. The positive effects of sustainable IT are reflected in environmental terms through reduced CO₂ emissions and increased energy efficiency. But also from an economic perspective, greater transparency and improved workflows throughout the company contribute to business success. Green IT is the key to stronger and more sustainable competitiveness, which also has a positive impact on stakeholder management.

Green IT offers many advantages:

• Improved product design and performance
• Lower business costs
• Reduced energy and water consumption
• Less E-waste
• Reduced air pollution
• Smaller CO₂ footprint

What companies can do to promote sustainable IT

Green IT encompasses various areas of application. One focus is on development that promotes a sustainable circular economy. Recycling and re-using IT equipment can reduce costs and minimise 
E-waste. In addition to encouraging reuse, the energy-saving development of hardware and software also helps promote sustainability. Cloud computing and virtualised IT environments, for example, reduce power consumption in data centres. Other solutions include paperless processes, longer IT equipment lifespans, and virtual work.

The following graphic illustrates in detail the various fields of activity for green IT. Attention is focused not only on process optimisation through restructuring of the IT architecture or data clearance management, but also on the potential of sustainable IT lifecycle management, and the use of green clouds together with IT energy and resource analysis.

^{Green IT: obligations and solutions}

How Forvis Mazars can assist you

As resource scarcity and the risks from potential energy crises continue to increase, companies are faced with the challenge of finding new solutions. Collaborating with you, our experts develop guiding principles for a sustainable alignment of the IT landscape, develop proposals for new, more sustainable value chains and increase the potential for long-term cost savings.

Working together with you, our consultants lay the foundation for a green IT that has all the advantages necessary to meet sustainability requirements such as the CSRD reporting obligations and supports the business units in developing innovative operating models and safeguarding resources in the long term.

Please contact us