The environmental footprint of the global digital world: dematerialization as a solution?

May 30, 2022

Missoun Boulekroume
missoun marketing manager

On a global scale, the environmental footprint of digital technology is equivalent to a continent two to three times the size of France and five times the weight of the French car fleet (180 million vehicles).

We tend to underestimate, or forget, the environmental impact* of digital technology, particularly because of its immateriality. Indeed, the carbon impact of digital technology on the environment tends to intrigue rather than worry. Lately many alarm bells have been ringing, notably with the fire at the OVH datacenter in Strasbourg that occurred in March 2021, or the fact that digital represents nearly 5% of greenhouse gas emissions in the world...
💡 : We speak of environmental impact to designate the effects produced by new information and communication technologies (NICT). Also known as digital pollution, the latter attempts to take into account energy consumption, mineral extraction, transportation costs...etc. up to the recycling phase of a digital product.
As the world begins to worry about the impacts of information and communication technologies on the planet, a new concept has emerged: the Green IT.

Still called green computing or sustainable computing, Green IT brings together all the techniques and behaviors aimed at reducing the footprint of digital technology on the environment.

This goes from the simple fact of turning off your computer often → to the development of technologies with an ecological purpose.


Cloud and Green IT: How to be part of the "Green Line"?

Is the Cloud "green"?

There are 2 types of digital use:
- On-site use, also called "local", referring to our computers and servers.
- The use of Web services, called "Cloud", operating through remote servers.

The exponential development of cloud computing generates a huge impact on global electricity consumption and also generates carbon dioxide: this sector could, by 2025, consume 20% of the world's electricity and emit 5% of CO2 according to a recent Swedish study.

This is the subject of an extremely decisive choice in some companies. Hence the importance of this question: "Is my cloud sustainable and green or not?"

Actions to limit the carbon footprint and be environmentally friendly count for bsoft.fr.
We are proud to have chosen a 100% French host and servers from a French company, expert for more than 10 years in the creation of hosting solutions.

By choosing a French host that implements sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions, the impact on our planet is limited (or even mitigated). The values of a web hosting company with reliable infrastructures allow to create, on a global scale, a change in users' behavior!

💡 : *PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) is an indicator to measure the energy efficiency of a data center.

Ranging from 1.0 for the most energy efficient PUE to 2.0 for the least efficient.

A law to reduce the environmental footprint in France?

The "Public Action 2022" program adopted by the French government aims to rethink the public action model and to see 100% of administrative procedures of the public service dematerialized by 2022.
A fund of 700 million euros over 5 years, attached to the Ministry of Action and Public Accounts, has been set up with the Great Investment Plan. This is the first time that the State has put so many new resources at the service of the transformation of the administration.

Today, it is imperative to reinvent our model of development, production and consumption. And we can act in favor of ecology thanks to digital transformation.



Environmentally friendly dematerialization?

It is known that each ton of paper produced generates CO2 emissions of more than 1.5 tons which instantly pollute the air.
The fact of dematerializing your documents will allow above all:

→ A clear reduction of air pollution.
→ A preservation of trees and the fight against deforestation!
→ A reduction in the consumption of ink, printer maintenance, electricity but also paper!
→ And above all a considerable reduction in your waste by contributing to the well-being of the planet.

Dematerialization for your training with bsoft.fr

50% of the annual quantity of paper consumed in France is used at work.
Each office worker uses 2,500 sheets of paper per year.

With our Bienvenue Formation digital solution, no more paper overconsumption: our digital sign-in solution is part of an ecological approach!
The administrative management of your attendance sheets is done entirely online, and allows you a certified digital signature.
Bienvenue Formation not only saves you paper and resources but also provides a significant gain in productivity as well as a considerable optimization of flows!

Our solution commits your training organizations to a CSR approach by giving you a strong and up-to-date image!
With the purchase of a Bienvenue Formation license you are guaranteed satisfied or your money back within 45 days!
Request a demo

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