There's no denying it: digital technology also has an impact on current ecological issues. We call it digital pollution. For Greenpeace, digital pollution is "all forms of pollution generated by the IT sector: greenhouse gas emissions, chemical contamination, erosion of biodiversity, production of electronic waste."
The first culprit in this pollution is hardware manufacturing. The manufacture of a computer or a smartphone uses many resources with a high environmental impact. The metals used have little respect for people or the environment. Energy consumption is also high... far from the eco-responsible ideal.
Worse still, with the current changes in the world of work, things are getting tougher. Many of us work as much in the office as we do at home, and companies have had to adapt to this new situation. By equipping billions of employees... with new hardware and equipment.
These actions have a direct impact on the carbon footprint, since the consumption of new equipment has soared. As Greenpeace itself explains on its website, to combat digital pollution, we need to reduce the number of items we consume and use our devices for longer (both smartphones and computers, whether fixed or portable). An eco-responsible act that would limit the use of ultra-polluting resources such as metals.
These practices run counter to the marketing strategies of major companies like Apple, which have been repeatedly called to order by environmental associations.
So much so that in 2016, the company wanted to put on a good show by teaming up with WWF to launch a joint campaign: Apps for Earth.
But the disaster also concerns the web and the omnipresence of social networks. Indeed, the very operation of the Internet pollutes. Not only because of the production of all the computer equipment connected to it, but also and above all because of the storage and transfer of data (whether video, photos or e-mails). In addition to their manufacturing costs, these devices consume energy, and even more so on the web.
Yes, watching Netflix pollutes as much as searching on the Yahoo search engine. That's why we recommend more eco-friendly search engines like Ecosia. What is Ecosia? It's a committed search engine. Unlike Yahoo or Google, Ecosia is involved in a large-scale reforestation program. For each search on their engine, one tree is replanted worldwide. An annual saving of 1kg per person.
The same goes for social networks! Watching a video has a gigantic energy footprint. And that's not counting electricity consumption: overloading the Internet, charging your smartphone, powering your computer. Being online all the time consumes energy, and the impact is all the greater when billions of Internet users are doing it at the same time. Being eco-responsible also means limiting practices with a heavy environmental impact.
What about data? Central to Amazon's campaigns and Netflix and Apple's analyses, data is making marketers happy and the world's teeth gnashing.
All the data exchanged and shared in France and around the world is stored in datacenters. France Culture has announced that the volume is so great that every 2 days, we produce a quantity of data equivalent to what has been generated since the beginning of Humanity... until 2003.
All the data exchanged and shared in France and around the world is stored in datacenters. France Culture has announced that the volume is so great that every 2 days, we produce a quantity of data equivalent to what has been generated since the beginning of Humanity... until 2003.
So there's a lot of controversy surrounding data centers. We all remember the fire at an OVH cloud data center in Strasbourg last March. But it's not just Strasbourg that's in the news. In the summer of 2022, Africa Datacenter announced the opening of a new facility in Ghana. Datacenters are springing up all over the continent, much to the chagrin of environmentalists. Nigeria is not alone, as Ghana is also in the running.
To counter this trend and get things moving, the CNRS organized an exhibition dedicated to the collective valorization of pollution data. Several projects were presented, promising innovations in the fight against pollution.
And what about the world of work?
The Paris climate agreement also called on companies to control their polluting activities. Numerous actions have been implemented, but the development of telecommuting has added its grain of salt to the machine.
The Covid-19 period has accelerated the pace of work and videoconferencing, both of which consume a lot of energy. Companies have nonetheless been able to make efforts by modifying the energy consumption of their offices, which require less heating and maintenance. Nevertheless, the use of digital technology continues to grow.
Employees are less present, but they still have needs.
The benefits in terms of transport are obvious, with many French people using their vehicles less and CO2 emissions falling. But there are other factors to take into account. Like the weight of videoconferencing, or the over-equipment of IT equipment that companies put in place to adapt employees' work. And let's not forget that, even at home, we continue to consume energy.
On the positive side, there are fewer business trips, which means fewer car or plane journeys, for example. Also, since employees are at home, fewer supplies are purchased by companies, and lighting, heating and air-conditioning are reduced.
Whether you're an employee or an entrepreneur, there are some simple things you can do.
For employees, avoid scheduling videoconference meetings that can take place on your days of presence. Limit the amount of equipment at home, and concentrate on the essentials.
The same applies to entrepreneurs. Limit the accumulation of untreated e-mails and simplify your task by sorting them out! Another solution is to have your business domiciled with a specialized company. Yes, it helps reduce pollution.
How does it work? By centralizing, managing and digitizing company mail in a single center. Not only that, but costs are reduced, as many companies are brought together in a single center.
Whatever your status, action is always possible and within your reach. The consequences of pollution from digital devices (both smartphones and computers) can be controlled through simple eco-responsible gestures.
