What is Digital Sustainability? Exploring New Concepts in the Digital Era

In December 2024, LITEON+ hosted an event at Unicorn University, featuring Kirsten Chen, Design Director at Yuren Design and B Corporation Consultant. She explored new concepts in digital sustainability amidst the digital era. Here are the key takeaways from her talk:

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Practicing Digital Sustainability

Digital sustainability goes beyond just going paperless. Even though information is stored in the cloud, every data transmission generates carbon emissions because servers require significant electricity and water for operation and cooling. Servers also occupy physical space. For context, 1 kilogram of CO2 is enough to fill a 1-meter diameter balloon.

Chen used web design as an example, noting that each page view generates approximately 1.67 kilograms of CO2. Here are some ways to optimize a website's digital carbon footprint:

1. Lightweight Content Delivery: Reduce data volume and speed up transmission.
2. Optimized User Pathways: Eliminate unnecessary processes.
3. Dark-Themed Websites: More energy-efficient, hence the saying, "Black is the new green."

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Digital Carbon Footprint

To make the abstract concept of a digital carbon footprint more tangible, Chen shared some thought-provoking statistics:

1. The digital carbon footprint accounts for 1.5-3.2% of global emissions, comparable to the aviation and shipping industries.
2. On average, users listening to 5 hours of streaming music daily contribute to 1.57 million tons of CO2 emissions annually.

Did you know? Simply downloading frequently listened-to music instead of streaming can significantly reduce carbon emissions, as servers only need to be activated once. Similarly, downloading frequently accessed data is a small but important step towards digital sustainability.

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Implementing Digital Carbon Reduction in Daily Life

Digital sustainability is gradually being incorporated into international standards (e.g., ISO/IEC 21031:2024 Information Technology – Software Carbon Intensity (SCI) specification, ISO/IEC CD TS 20125 Digital Services Ecodesign (in development)), indicating the foreseeable future of related policy development.

Beyond policy, Chen shared practical tips for reducing carbon emissions in daily life:

1. Download Instead of Stream Music: Reduce repeated server activation.
2. Block Auto-Playing Videos: Avoid unnecessary data consumption.
3. Choose Standard Definition for Viewing: Lightweight data transmission.
4. Delete Unnecessary Emails, Photos, and Files: Save storage space.
5. Directly Enter URLs Instead of Using Search Engines: Simplify processes.
6. Lower Screen Brightness: Reducing from 100% to 70% can save over 20% of energy.

The essence of digital sustainability is to enhance convenience in our lives. Fundamentally, it is human-centric. Whether in situational, temporary, or permanent contexts, any reform should aim to improve user experience for lasting change.

This speech provided valuable insights into integrating digital sustainability into daily life, emphasizing the importance of continuous innovation and practical implementation. Hopefully these insights help you better understand and practice digital sustainability!

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