In today’s rapidly evolving digital and social landscape, sustainability has evolved beyond simply an approach to alleviate environmental concerns into a key driver of business resilience and market competitiveness.
While fueling innovation, the digital revolution incurs significant environmental cost. Studies like this one in France, reveal the daily per-person environmental impact of scrolling through Instagram to be equivalent to travelling 166 metres in a car, exposing the hidden footprint of seemingly innocuous digital activities as a result of energy intensive data centres, power-hungry devices and e-waste. But building digital sustainability is not merely about reducing environmental footprints; it's about integrating sustainability into the core of business strategy and operations. This will not only help organisations meet stricter regulatory demands, but also align with the growing consumer expectation for ethical business conduct and easier access to sustainable choices.
Here are five actionable steps your business can take to enhance digital sustainability through digital operations and products, from product design to end-of-life management.
Over 80% of a product’s environmental impacts are predetermined during the design phase. To mitigate these impacts, it’s crucial to integrate sustainability considerations through the entire lifecycle of your digital products - from design through to deployment and maintenance. For example, optimising user journeys to reduce clicks, and employing design strategies that minimise media and streamline code not only enhance energy efficiency but also boost accessibility and user experience. Similarly, by incorporating rapid, effective feedback mechanisms, businesses can ensure they’re designing the right product from the start, minimising the need for re-work and improving competitiveness and durability. By embedding sustainability into product design, businesses can cut waste, lower energy use, and reduce their carbon footprint, while also developing more competitive, scalable products with long-term cost savings.
Implement a sustainable IT architecture by choosing green hosting solutions and energy-efficient data centres to significantly lessen the environmental footprint of your digital operations, and consider upgrades or changes to move to more energy-efficient technologies. In doing so, businesses can not only deliver towards their sustainability goals but also enhance overall system performance and reduce operational costs.
Adopting a circular economy model for digital products focuses on extending the lifecycle of products, reusing resources, and minimising waste. Develop strategies to extend the life of digital products through maintenance, upgrades, and modular designs that allow for easy replacement of components. For instance, taking a modular approach to digital product design involves structuring the product as a series of discrete, interchangeable components which can be developed, updated and maintained independently of one another. This approach allows products to easily scale, enabling teams to develop, integrate and maintain additional modules to respond to new requirements without disrupting the existing system, reducing the downtime and complexity of updates. Modules created for one product can also often be reused for other similar products, reducing development time and costs.
Leverage data analytics to drive sustainability initiatives, such as monitoring and managing energy use, resource allocation, and waste generation in real-time. Implementing advanced data management practices can help identify inefficiencies and optimise product development and management to improve both environmental and operational performance. Moreover, transparently sharing sustainability metrics with stakeholders can enhance your company’s credibility and encourage industry-wide sustainability efforts, driving your brand awareness as others seek to follow your efforts.
Cultivate a corporate culture that prioritises sustainability by educating employees about the importance of environmental responsibility and encouraging sustainable practices at all levels of the organisation. Provide training and resources that empower employees to contribute to sustainability goals, including on the hidden environmental impacts of their digital workspaces. Engaging employees in sustainability efforts can not only foster a sense of purpose and satisfaction, but also drive innovation and collaboration as teams seek to develop new sustainable solutions.
Integrating sustainability into your organisation's digital operations and products may seem challenging or not immediately aligned with strategic priorities. Yet by implementing these five strategies, businesses can not only move towards their sustainability goals but also achieve tangible economic benefits and strengthen their competitive advantage in the digital age.
Clarasys is committed to helping organisations integrate sustainability into their digital strategies. We offer a range of services, from designing products to have specific environmental and social impact and utilising behavioural strategies to ensure they work for customers. By drawing on our expertise in customer experience and digital transformation, we can ensure sustainability is seamlessly woven into the fabric of your organisation to enhance both environmental outcomes and business performance.
If you’re ready to enhance your organisation's digital sustainability, get in touch to learn how we can help you make a lasting, positive impact on the planet while driving your business forward.