Digital study and environment (1/7). Main findings

To understand the impact of digital technology on the environment, we need a global vision of the effects induced over the entire life cycle of digital technologies. While digital advances are not without consequences, they do provide real solutions for better environmental protection. AdN study for Digital Wallonia.

The Digital Agency has been commissioned by the French Minister for the Economy and the Digital Economy to carry out in 2021 a study on the environmental and climatic impact of digital tools with a view to making recommendations, within the framework of Digital Wallonia.

This dossier, divided into several articles, presents the different parts of the study:

• Etude numérique et environnement (1/7). Principaux constats
• Digital study and environment (2/7). A practical guide to successful transformation
• Digital study and environment (3/7). International inspiration
• Digital study and environment (4/7). Perceptions and expectations of Walloon players
• Digital study and environment (5/7). Areas of action for Wallonia
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• Digital study and environment (7/7). Methodological framework and sources

In the European Green Deal and digital file, the Agence du Numérique stressed the importance for Wallonia of exploiting the potential represented by the dual digital and ecological transition. This interdependence poses a challenge for value creation, job diversity and the economic prosperity of Walloon companies.

However, we mustn't lose sight of the fact that the digital sector is itself a major consumer of energy and natural resources.

More recently, the Council of the European Union formulated a whole series of conclusions for the Commission européenne. The Council defines digital as an excellent lever for accelerating the transition to a circular, climate-neutral and more resilient economy.

In Wallonia, the Agence du Numérique has been looking at the issue of digital and the environment for several years. This has led to a number of initiatives, such as the publication of the memorandum "What digital society for tomorrow?, participation in Think Tank #RESET, the representation of Wallonia in the reflections of the CCPIE, the mapping of players active in the environment and circular economy, the strong involvement in the Circular Wallonia strategy, etc.

The aim is to position digital technology as an ally in the fight against climate change and to accelerate the ecological transition in Wallonia.

This "digital and the environment" study provides an overview of the state of the art and identifies international best practices to inspire Wallonia in the actions to be taken.

To achieve this, the study brought together various experts in a consortium (Climact, FACTOR-X, ICTEAM - Electronic Circuits and Systems - UCLouvain, Laboratoire d'Etudes sur les Nouvelles formes de Travail, l'Innovation et le Changement - ULiège) and an advisory committee (Institut Belge du Numérique Responsable, Cluster TWEED, Sirris).

Nearly 80 key sources dealing with the links between digital technology and the environment were analyzed. These sources deal mainly with the impact of digital technologies on energy, greenhouse gases (GHGs), waste and environmental impacts in general.

Based on these sources, 5 major findings emerge:

1. Consideration of the entire lifecycle of digital tools.
2. Digital advances are not without consequences.
3. Digital advances also offer many opportunities.
4. Watch out for rebound effects.
5. Behavioral patterns at the heart of everything.

Every product manufactured and sold, like a desk or a piece of clothing, has a direct impact on the environment.. It is therefore important, as part of an eco-design approach, to be aware of all the materials, resources and energies mobilized over the entire life cycle of digital technologies, from their design and use to their end-of-life treatment.

The main indicators to take into account when assessing the environmental impact of digital tools over their entire lifecycle:

• The quantity of primary energy used to extract the materials used in their manufacture.
• The quantity of rare materials used in their manufacture.
• The quantity of final energy source used over the entire life cycle.
• The rate of greenhouse gas emissions over the entire life cycle.
• The amount of water used over the entire life cycle.
• The use of toxic products during design or end-of-life treatment.
• The surface area of land occupied and transformed to ensure the production, sale, distribution and processing of waste.
• The rate of eutrophication (excess nitrogen) generated during the life cycle.
• The rate of ozone depletion caused during the life cycle.

Based on the Digital in Europe: A life cycle assessment approach to environmental impacts, Here are a few key figures to give you a concrete idea of the direct impact of digital technology on the environment:

• Almost 55 million tonnes of electronic and electrical waste WEEE were generated worldwide in 2019. Small digital technologies such as mobile phones accounted for almost 5 million tonnes, and technologies such as screens and monitors for almost 7 million tonnes. In view of our consumption habits, WEEE is estimated to reach 75 million tonnes in 2030, an increase of 40% in 10 years.
• The carbon footprint generated by the complete lifecycle of digital technologies worldwide in 2020 is estimated at the equivalent of one to two gigatons of CO2, or 2% to 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• The production phase of digital technologies is the stage of the life cycle that generates the greatest environmental impact.
• Television production alone accounts for 20% of all resources, materials and metals used in the manufacture of digital technologies. They account for 21.5% of WEEE.
• Data centers account for between 5% and 23% of the overall environmental impact generated by digital tools.

Every year, the member countries of the European Union :

• Use almost 5,800 tonnes of resources, materials and rare metals to manufacture digital technologies, and almost 4,000 PJ petajoules (unit of energy measurement) of fossil resources, i.e. 26.4% of global consumption.
• Generate 185 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent for the entire lifecycle of their digital technologies, i.e. 40.7% of global GHG emissions from the digital sector.
• More than 570 million tonnes of raw materials are used in the manufacture of digital technologies.
• Produce over 115 million tons of end-of-life digital technology waste.
• Consume almost 4250 PJ of primary energy to manufacture digital tools and services.
• Consume almost 1050 PJ of final energy for the daily use of all functional digital technologies.

In other words, every year, European countries :

• Displace in raw materials the equivalent of the weight of all living beings on earth.
• Over the lifecycle of their digital technologies, they generate pollution equivalent to 380,000 round-trips between Paris and New York, or 63 years of current air travel.
• Produce digital waste equivalent to the weight of 1.87 billion human beings.
• The electricity consumed by the lifecycle of digital technologies is equivalent to 32.5 million heating systems (1000 W) switched on continuously for a year. The use of digital technologies accounts for over 9% of European electricity consumption.

Although the figures presented above may seem daunting, digital technologies represent only a small part of the environmental impact generated by human activity.

It's certainly important to be aware of the impact of digital technology on the environment, as part of a Green IT approach. And it's just as important to seize every opportunity offered by advances in digital technology to protect the environment in an IT 4 Green approach.

Examples of annual GHG reductions and environmental impacts generated by digital technologies :

• Smart grids can save almost 150 million tonnes of CO2 and up to 10% of energy consumption.
• Energy efficiency in smart buildings, saving almost 215 million tonnes of CO2.
• The application of digital technology to smart farming, in particular through intelligent irrigation, saves almost 650 million tonnes of CO2, not to mention water and end-energy consumption.
• Digital smart mobility, in particular through intelligent public lighting, demobilization and road decongestion, saves almost 650 million tonnes of CO2.
• Industry 4.0, mainly through intelligent supply chain management and a more eco-factory-oriented vision, reduces the equivalent of almost 240 million tonnes of CO2.

In addition to these significant gains, digital technologies provide real solutions for :

• Monitor the environment, climate, ecosystems, natural resources, deforestation, forest degradation, etc.
• Adapting to global warming.
• Raise awareness and mobilize players around the environmental cause by simplifying the transmission of the right information and the right gestures to adopt.

Here are three concrete examples where the use of digital technologies is proving indispensable.

Digital technology can help counter or better manage meteorological phenomena that can cause serious damage to Wallonia, as was the case in July 2021. It therefore plays a preventive role (practices aimed at reducing environmental degradation) and an anticipatory role (practices aimed at better observing and understanding environmental variations, so as to act accordingly).

Here are a few examples of digital technology applications for :

1. Prevent meteorological phenomena:
2. Develop agricultural, water flow, urbanization and runoff models based on the activation of natural ecosystems.
3. Automatically monitor environmental regulations through legal monitoring systems, to better detect violations of environmental law. This practice ensures compliance with urban planning regulations, proper management of water run-off and pollutant discharges, in order to reduce the environmental impact of industrial and manufacturing activities.