Gofore has created a guide and tool for designing ecologically sustainable digital services. Taking ecological sustainability into account when creating digital services reduces carbon footprints and costs, while also promoting more sustainable behaviour.
The ICT sector accounts for 7-9 percent of total electricity consumption, and this is expected to rise to 13 percent by 2030. This share is significant, yet few organisations working with digital services consider the ecological footprint generated by their digital services.
“Organisations should pay more attention to the ecological aspects of their digital services. Many leaders are aware of this but may not know how to approach it within their own operations,” says Gofore’s Service Design and Sustainability Lead Anna-Kaisa Varjus.
“However, it would be wise to act before it becomes absolutely necessary,” Varjus states. She points out that the ecological aspect of digital services is one way to bring organisations closer to the obligations set by the EU and their own sustainability goals.
From Human-Centric to Life-Centric
Digital services have traditionally been designed with a human-centric approach, but modern sustainability-oriented organisations also consider ecological factors. Ideally, solutions are created that minimise impacts on the planet, reducing carbon footprints and protecting biodiversity.
“Many think that a single digital service does not matter in a world where, for instance, tech giants, AI companies, streaming services, and social media platforms consume most of the electricity used by telecommunications networks. In the future, however, companies will need to report their digital footprints more accurately and traceably. Therefore, now is the right time to focus on ecological digitalisation,” Varjus says.
Ecologically Sustainable Digitalisation Guide Available to All
To encourage organisations toward ecological digital sustainability thinking, Gofore has created a guide that helps design, develop, and maintain more environmentally friendly digital services. As part of the guide, there is also a concrete downloadable tool.
One of the developers of the guide and its accompanying tool is digital service designer Suse Miessner. She notes that the new guide offers an approachable way to familiarise oneself with the topic, engage in discussions, and incorporate practices into daily life.
“The tool is suitable for various needs and organisations, and it can be customised to fit individual requirements,” Miessner says, encouraging both small and large organisations to boldly try the tool.
The Ecologically Sustainable Digitalisation guide is divided into four themes, each containing three sections: a brief introduction, key principles, and finally, tips and a checklist. Practically, each theme describes how to create digital services with ecological considerations in mind.
The themes of the guide are 1. Planetary Service Design, 2. Conscious Digital Design, 3. Energy-Efficient Development, and 4. Green Cloud Services and Data Centres.
“The guide is user-friendly and does not require prior expertise on the subject. It can help one get started in digital ecology or deepen existing knowledge and practices.”
The guide and tool are continuously being developed at Gofore.
“Since the digital operating environment is constantly changing, the tool must be kept up to date.”
Learn more about the new guide and download the tool.
For more information:
Viljakaisa Aaltonen, Gofore’s Design Services
viljakaisa.aaltonen@gofore.com
+358 50 483 5663
Four Themes for Designing and Developing Ecologically Sustainable Digital Services
1. Planetary Service Design: Design thinking is based on the desirability, feasibility, and economic sustainability of the service. The new tool incorporates planetary considerations into design methods: for example, how to consider species or topographical features in service paths and profiles.
2. Conscious Digital Design: The aim is to design environmentally sustainable digital products and make sustainable choices appealing to users. The tool lists concrete actions that designers can take in their work: for instance, how to upload fonts, optimize graphics, and save images in the most eco-friendly way possible.
3. Energy-Efficient Coding: While digitalisation can help reduce carbon emissions, creating new services can simultaneously generate new sources of emissions. Therefore, it is important for developers to actively adopt environmentally friendly practices, such as “green coding” principles. This means sustainable development practices that reduce energy consumption, minimise carbon emissions, and optimise resource use throughout the software’s lifecycle.
4. Green Cloud and Data Centres: When choosing a hosting service, it is wise to check if it uses renewable energy and whether energy consumption is reported transparently. Attention should also be paid to the physical location of servers, as the closer the server is to its users, the shorter and more energy-efficient the data transfer will be. This reduces latency and energy consumption, as data does not have to travel long distances to reach its users.