Action Plan for Green IT in Denmark

Action Plan for Green IT

IT holds considerable potential for society. IT makes it possible to work and produce more efficiently; IT opens new opportunities in the global economy and makes it possible for us to design our lives at work and at home in new ways. It is therefore important that Denmark fully exploits the potential in IT so that the technology contributes to society and how we design it with considerable added value.

Information and communication technology attains ever-greater significance. Figures from Statistics Denmark indicate that Danish households with computers have gone from 15 per cent in 1990 to 83 per cent in 2007.³ Moreover, 94 per cent of the households with computers had Internet access in 2007.⁴ Correspondingly, 98 per cent of Danish companies with more than ten employees use IT.⁵ These figures indicate that Denmark has embraced IT.

Figure 1: The possession of durable consumer goods in the family 1990-2007.

Figure 1: The possession of durable consumer goods in the family 1990-2007.

Source: Statistics Denmark.

In the meantime, the increasing spread of IT has environmental consequences. Gartner Consulting, a leading IT research and advisory company, has assessed that the CO₂ emissions of IT on the global level equal those of the entire aviation industry, which is assessed to be responsible for two per cent of the total CO₂ emissions.⁶ In the years to come, the environmental impact from IT will attain increasing significance on the global climate agenda.

The Action Plan for Green IT contains two primary focus areas relating to Green IT: first, the development of a greener lifecycle for IT solutions – from development, production and usage to disposal; and second, the research and development of solutions that can reduce the impact on the environment with the help of IT.

Green IT
Green IT can be defined as research in- and use of IT in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner.

The Green IT approach can include several different phases in the lifecycle of a product – the development, production, usage and disposal of IT. Development must grant consideration to the environment; the production must take place using environmentally friendly production methods; the IT solutions must be used in an environmentally friendly manner; and finally, IT waste must be disposed of in an environmentally correct manner. All of these phases are supported by research and innovation in Green IT.

Illustration: Lifecycle of an IT product

Denmark must become better at limiting the harmful effects for the environment through more environmentally friendly utilization of IT. The use of sustainable IT is to be promoted: the development and production of IT; the way we purchase and use IT; and the handling of IT waste.

Figure 2: The development of electricity consumption over ten years – total, as well as for IT and consumer electronics.

Figure 2: The development of electricity consumption over ten years – total, as well as for IT and consumer electronics.

Source: The Danish Electricity Saving Trust (Elsparefonden) and Elmodel-Bolig.

A study carried out by the European Commission indicates that 84 per cent of the total environmental impact for most electronic equipment is in the usage phase, while only 16 per cent goes to production, distribution and disposal.⁷ In other words, the greatest potential for making environmental gains can be achieved via environmental measures in the usage phase.

Did you know…
that the production of a single PC requires 1.7 tons of raw materials and water?⁸

Just as the efficiency of an automobile depends on how it is driven, the efficiency of IT depends on how it is used. This is just as true for the private consumer as it is for the large corporation or public authority with large data centres and server rooms.

Would anyone let their car running in the driveway while eating lunch or leave the television on over night? Nevertheless, this kind of behaviour is quite normal when it comes to IT.⁹

The objective is to present and promote a number of simple measures promoting the understanding and spreading of Green IT without rewinding the development back to the time before the digital revolution. It is decisive that ordinary citizens and the public and private sectors continue to exploit the opportunities IT provides while at the same time using energy more efficiently.

Did you know…
that the average lifespan of a computer has fallen from six years in 1997 to just two years in 2005?¹⁰

Intelligent utilization of IT can contribute to reducing the impact on the environment. There can be negative environmental consequences resulting from the increased use of IT products, but the perspectives for the positive effects of IT use are far greater. IT is the key in the development of intelligent solutions that reduce everyday energy consumption and in the production of goods and services, thereby actively contributing to the limiting of the total CO₂ emissions.

IT holds the potential to reduce energy consumption and optimize resources. Modern IT equipment makes it possible to hold virtual meetings, rendering flights and other transportation unnecessary. Similarly, home offices also make teleworking possible, which also saves transportation.

Did you know…
that international studies have shown that, on average, 30 per cent of the power a computer uses is pure waste due to the computer being left on when not in use?¹¹

Another example of innovative IT solutions involves the regulation of energy consumption, which can contribute to creating the energy-saving homes and workplaces of the future. In this regard, it is fundamental to invest in research in Green IT.

The increasing spread of IT is part of the strain on the environment, but IT is simultaneously the strong contributor that must ensure the environment of the future. All it takes is the will and ability to think innovatively and promote innovative IT solutions.

Did you know…

that every time an employee works from home using IT, it saves on transportation and thus CO₂ emissions?
that every time an IT-regulated intelligent power-regulator turns off the lights, turns down the heat or turns off the air-conditioning, CO₂ is saved?
that every time a company or public authority produces more efficiently with the help of IT, CO₂ is saved?
that every time catalogues, advertisements and letters are replaced by electronic documents and e-mails, CO₂ is saved?
that IT is thus much more a part of the solution than a part of the problem regarding CO₂ emissions?

The Action Plan includes the following initiatives, which are intended to place focus on greener IT solutions in the private and public sectors as well as in the lives of ordinary people.

Focus area 1: Greener IT use

Initiative 1: Corporate IT use must become greener
In the future, environmental considerations will be regarded as part of a company’s social responsibility to a much greater degree than is the case at present. Green IT can therefore prevent red figures on the bottom line. In order to support this development, a catalogue describing best practices and good advice about greener IT solutions for these companies is being compiled.
Initiative 2: Green IT information campaign
Children and young people are frequent users of new technology and the consumers of the future. It is therefore important to communicate the significance of energy-correct technology and behaviour. The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation will initiate an information campaign for children and young people about Green IT in order to shift the focus to Green IT use.
Initiative 3: Green IT guidelines for public authorities
The Danish Electricity Saving Trust (Elsparefonden) has assessed that DKK four million can be saved on a daily basis if the public sector in Denmark becomes more resource-conscious about electricity consumption.¹² In cooperation with the other ministries, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation will develop guidelines to assist the ministries to establish requirements concerning Green IT solutions.
Initiative 4: Knowledge base for energy- and CO₂ calculation
An overview of calculators for energy consumption and CO₂ emissions from the use of IT will be compiled, which will enable everyone – ordinary citizens, companies and authorities alike – to easily gain access to information about the extent of their IT-related energy consumption and thereby how much CO₂ is produced as a result of IT use. The overview will be made available via the Internet.

At the same time, IT is part of the solution. The Action Plan contains the following initiatives, which are to contribute to strengthening the development and use of innovative IT solutions for the reduction of energy consumption.

Focus area 2: IT solutions for a sustainable future

Initiative 5: Green IT research funding
There is a need for research projects promoting the development of energy-correct IT solutions that can help reduce total CO₂ emissions. In 2008, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation has allocated DKK 36 million for research in Green IT, pervasive computing and eGovernment.
Initiative 6: Export of Green IT know-how and technology
The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation will establish an export campaign for Green IT expertise and technology. This initiative is being developed in cooperation with the IT trade organizations and Danish innovation centres abroad. It will focus on opportunities for the export of green technology to the new growth centres in Asia.
Initiative 7: International conference on Green IT
The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation will set Green IT on the international agenda. In the first half of 2009, an international conference on Green IT will therefore be arranged, the purpose of which is to set the agenda and promote the sharing of knowledge about opinions and relevant initiatives.

Green IT is very much a question of impacting behaviour. The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation will take the lead by placing greener IT solutions on the agenda in the entire ministry.

Initiative 8: Green IT in the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation
The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation will implement a number of initiatives to establish its position as a pioneering authority in Green IT. These initiatives will result in a reduction of energy consumption in the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation by at least 10%.

The work with these initiatives will lead up to December 2009, when Denmark is to host the UN Climate Change Conference COP 15. The objective of the 2009 climate conference is an ambitious and global climate agreement for the period after 2012. The climate conference provides a good occasion to present a number of environmental initiatives relating to IT.

The individual initiatives in the Action Plan are presented in the following pages. The Action Plan is divided into two general themes: IT as part of the problem and IT as part of the solution.

3 Statistics Denmark, Familiernes besiddelse af varige forbrugsgoder 1990-2007.

4 Statistics Denmark 2007: Befolkningens brug af internet 2007, p. 19.

5 Statistics Denmark 2006: Informationssamfundet Denmark – It-status 2006, p. 5

6 Gartner 2007: Gartner Symposium/Itxpo “Green IT – A New Industry Shockwave”, p. 2.

7 High Tech, Low Carbon, p. 17, http://www.intellectuk.org/content/view/3799/

8 Global Action Plan 2007: An Inefficient Truth, p. 6.

9 High Tech, Low Carbon, p. 31, http://www.intellectuk.org/content/view/3799/

10 http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/toxics/electronics/the-e-waste-problem

11 Global Action Plan 2007: An Inefficient Truth, p. 5.

12 http://www.elsparefonden.dk/offentlig-and-erhverv/kom-godt-i-gang/kampagne-2007?nm_ct=30

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This page forms part of the publication 'Action Plan for Green IT in Denmark' as chapter 2 of 5
Version 1.0. 03-06-2008

© National IT- and Telecom Agency 2008