Digital pollution: understanding and reducing its impact

‍

At a time when streaming, cloud services and generative AI are booming, the issue of digital pollution is more important than ever. Greenhouse gas emissions, electronic waste, resource depletion: the environmental footprint of the digital sector is substantial. Discover the main sources of digital pollution, as well as how to assess and reduce its impact, both individually and at company level.

‍

1. What is digital pollution?

‍

Digital pollution primarily refers to all GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions caused by the devices, infrastructures and uses associated with the digital sector. According to a 2024 data driven report published by the universities of Cambridge and Bristol in collaboration with Frazer-Nash Consultancy, the digital sector in the UK accounted for 2.73% of the country’s total GHG emissions (consumption footprint). This figure compares the 19.28 MtCO₂eq emitted by the digital sector in 2023 to 2021 UK’s overall GHG emissions. The study highlights that this amount equals 29% of the yearly planetary boundary per capita (Earth’s ecological limit).

‍

However, greenhouse gases are far from being the only form of pollution generated by the digital sector. Waste generation is another obvious issue when equipment reaches the end of its life. Indeed, if recycling options are often available, waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is too infrequently handled correctly. Some devices ultimately end up in landfill sites, sometimes open-air dumps, buried in waste disposal facilities, or incinerated alongside household waste. Digital pollution also encompasses the release of toxic substances (heavy metals and chemicals) into the environment.

‍

These emissions occur notably during the extraction of the minerals required to manufacture digital equipment. The substances released affect terrestrial and marine ecosystems, as well as the health of workers and local communities. Beyond pollution in its literal meaning, the digital sector is responsible for many other environmental impacts. The report refers to a selection of indicators from the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to evaluate its overall footprint.

‍

It notably highlights that the digital sector contributes significantly to abiotic resource depletion. This primarily concerns metals and minerals (gold, silver, copper, rare earths, etc.). Freshwater ecotoxicity is also cited as one of the biggest environmental impacts of the digital sector. Moreover, it’s important to keep in mind that large quantities of water are used in product manufacturing and for cooling data centres.

‍

{{newsletter-blog-3}}

‍

2. What are the main sources of digital pollution?

‍

The 2024 Digital Sector Emissions Data Driven Report divides the digital industry into three infrastructure and hardware categories:

• User devices;
• Data centres;
• Networks.

‍

This overview enables us to identify the main sources of pollution within the sector, particularly in terms of carbon footprint. However, it is important to keep in mind that this report is lacking important data and therefore has a few blind spots. As noted in its Key recommendations section, “several estimates presented in this report are based on studies undertaken outside the UK, which may not capture the specificities of the UK market, or the impact of UK policies.”

‍

Despite these limitations, the report currently represents one of the best available resources for analysing the main sources of pollution in the digital sector. Here is what it reveals about the carbon footprint and environmental impact of user devices, data centres and networks.

‍

2.1 Digital pollution linked to user devices

‍

This category covers the following products: computers, all electronics for communication purposes, printers, gaming articles and televisions. As it appears, the user devices represent the leading source of pollution in the digital industry. In 2023, user devices accounted for 51.13% of the sector's greenhouse gas emissions in the UK.

‍

According to French government-led website ImpactCO₂, a business desktop computer (excluding the monitor) used for six years has an average carbon footprint of 259 kgCO₂eq across its entire life cycle. This is equivalent to a 1 780 miles medium-haul flight. Yet, contrary to common assumptions, the impact associated with using digital products is very small compared with that of manufacturing them. Taking the example of the professional desktop, the use phase and end-of-life stage account for only 21% of its carbon footprint.

‍

Manufacturing therefore accounts for about 79% of its total greenhouse gas emissions. Beyond carbon footprint, electronic equipment also has the greatest impact across the other environmental indicators used in the LCA methodology. The consumption and depletion of mineral resources during the manufacture of user devices are particularly significant.

‍

2.2 Digital pollution linked to data centres

Data centres represent the second largest contributor to carbon emissions in the 2024 study. In 2023, they accounted for 35.58% of greenhouse gas emissions from UK's digital sector, almost as much as user devices. The carbon footprint of data centres includes all equipment involved in hosting and processing data (servers, hard drives, etc.). In practical terms, this means that these greenhouse gas emissions arise directly from the provision of digital services.

‍

Hosting streaming content, websites, databases and cloud-based tools therefore carries a significant carbon impact. In addition to greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere, some data centres consume substantial quantities of water. Indeed, water—predominantly drinking water—is sometimes used in cooling techniques.

‍

According to Arcep (France's Electronic Communications Regulatory Authority) 2026 survey on the sustainable use of digital technologies, 575,000 m3 of water was used by the surveyed data centres in 2024 to meet French demand. It is important to note that some cooling methods with high water consumption can also deliver energy savings. Different sustainability challenges may therefore come into conflict, requiring in-depth analysis to determine the most environmentally responsible practices.

‍

2.3 Digital pollution linked to networks

‍

Networks are by far the category contributing least to the environmental impacts of the digital sector. In 2023, they represented about 13.29% of the sector's carbon footprint in the UK. Networks refer to the various telecommunications infrastructures enabling data exchange between user devices and data centres.

‍

This notably includes wireline and wireless access network goods, telecommunication core network goods and related telecommunication data centres, as well as customers’ internet access boxes. As we can see, the manufacture and operation of network infrastructures contribute to the footprint of the use of digital services. However, the majority of this impact is directly linked to data hosting within data centres.

‍

3. Manufacturing: the most polluting stage of the digital life cycle

‍

Digital pollution occurs at every stage of the life cycle of equipment and infrastructure. However, the manufacturing phase is clearly the most environmentally impactful. The 2024 report shows that 63% of the digital sector’s GHG are due to embodied emissions. This includes manufacturing, distribution and end-of-life. However, it is widely recognised that manufacturing is by far the most carbon-intensive life-cycle stage in the digital sector.

‍

This is notably confirmed in the 2025 ADEME-Arcep study on France’s digital sector’s environmental footprint. In 2022, manufacturing digital goods represented a carbon footprint of 17.8 MtCO₂eq, in France. That represents more than 60 % of the sector’s GHG emissions. Moreover, the 2025 ADEME-Arcep study estimates that manufacturing and using digital equipment for the French market requires 117 million tonnes of resources annually. Although this figure includes the use phase, the report indicates that manufacturing is the primary driver of this resource consumption.

‍

Moreover, the environmental impact of manufacturing extends well beyond carbon footprint. Pollution generated by the extraction and refining of metals is particularly significant. In addition, manufacturing digital equipment requires considerable volumes of water, even though obtaining reliable figures remains difficult. Beyond digital pollution itself, the digital sector's demand for minerals raises crucial questions around sovereignty in an international context marked by numerous geopolitical tensions.

‍

4. Digital waste: a major environmental challenge

‍

At a time when consumption of digital products is reaching unprecedented levels, managing their end of life has become a major challenge. According to the 2024 Global E-waste Monitor, 62 million tonnes of digital waste were generated in 2022. During the same period, only 22.3% of the sector's waste by mass is thought to have been properly collected and recycled. Europe, which generates the highest amount of digital waste per capita (17.6 kg per person per year), performs best in this regard.

‍

Even so, Europeans correctly collect only 42.8% of end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment. Some of these smartphones, televisions and other devices are undoubtedly gathering dust in homes and business premises. However, some digital equipment is also incorrectly sorted, incinerated or illegally exported abroad, where it may end up in open-air dumps. Addressing both the climate challenge and finite resources therefore requires improving product durability and developing recycling systems.

‍

5. How can you assess your digital impact?

‍

As ICT environmental impacts continue to increase each year, it is important for everyone to question their habits and consumption patterns. While adopting certain good practices may seem obvious, users often underestimate the real impact of digital devices and services. Fortunately, tools exist to calculate digital environmental footprints, both at organisational and individual level.

‍

5.1 Calculating the environmental impact of your organisation's digital activities

‍

Any organisation committed to the environmental transition should first conduct a comprehensive greenhouse gas assessment covering Scopes 1, 2 and 3, using, for example, the GHG Protocol standards. To determine the overall carbon footprint of its digital services and uses, however, it may be necessary to aggregate several emissions subcategories.

‍

To understand the overall environmental impact of the digital products and services the company markets, another tool is essential: the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This multi-criteria approach relies on 16 indicators and provides a holistic view of the studied products. Conducting a full LCA of goods and services represents the first step of any eco-design approach.

‍

5.2 Estimating your personal digital footprint

‍

The best-known personal footprint calculators (carbon footprint, water footprint) are generalist tools. WWF Footprint Calculator and Global Footprint Network’s calculator, for example, are not limited to digital activities. They consider all categories of everyday consumption and behaviour. These tools are extremely useful for understanding one's overall environmental footprint and identifying major reduction opportunities. Though they may appear less suitable for conducting a detailed analysis of digital pollution, they are some of the best available calculators in English.

‍

However, French speakers may have a better option at their disposal. The ImpactCO₂ French website is one of the best resources available for estimating digital carbon footprints. Based on the best French carbon data sets, the platform remains useful for estimating anyone’s digital footprint. It includes a calculator for assessing the impact of digital activities. Although this tool provides initial estimates of personal impact, it remains relatively limited. However, ImpactCO₂ offers an extensive database and a highly useful comparison tool for better understanding the carbon footprint associated with specific digital products and uses.

6. How can digital pollution be reduced?

‍

Whether at individual level or across an organisation of any kind, numerous actions can help reduce digital pollution. Here are some measures to implement as part of a Green IT approach.

‍

6.1 Reducing the digital pollution generated by your organisation

‍

There are many ways to drastically reduce your organisation's digital footprint, regardless of its level of maturity on this issue. Awareness-raising initiatives, environmentally responsible habits, structural changes : here are 6 digital-related initiatives that can help mitigate your company’s carbon footprint.

‍

6.1.1 Raise awareness and train employees on digital sustainability challenges

‍

The first step in reducing digital pollution is to educate all the members of your organisation about the sustainability challenges associated with digital technologies and the importance of sustainable practices. This can involve organising awareness workshops, such as a Climate Fresk session. For more mature organisations, it is highly beneficial to train different teams on the digital sustainability issues linked to their roles. This might include raising awareness among procurement teams about sustainable purchasing practices or introducing design teams to eco-design methodologies.

‍

6.1.2 Promote digital sufficiency across the organisation

‍

Numerous digital sufficiency practices can reduce an organisation's environmental footprint without making major operational changes. Examples include limiting video calls in favour of audio calls whenever possible, or unplugging devices when they are not in use. Adopting practices that extend equipment lifespan helps limit the overconsumption of electronic products as well.

‍

Digital sobriety must also be addressed at organisational level. Every company should challenge its actual needs and consider the impacts of technologies and uses before adopting them. For example, the carbon impact of AI is often underestimated and the use of large language models (LLMs) has become commonplace, even when they add little value to the tasks performed. Yet the data centres required to host AI solutions and their training data consume enormous amounts of energy.

‍

6.1.3 Improve end-of-life management for digital devices

‍

The end-of-life management of electronic equipment is often handled poorly. First, older products that remain functional can be sold or donated to charities. When digital equipment breaks down, the first response should be to attempt repair internally or through a professional repair service. Organisations can also contract collection and reconditioning companies to give a second life to those devices.

‍

Another option for sorting electrical and electronic waste is to work with a specialised producer responsibility organisation. Taking this approach ensures that digital equipment is reused or recycled whenever possible. To facilitate overall end-of-life management, maintaining an up-to-date waste register is considered good practice.

6.1.4 Implement a sustainable procurement policy

An organisation's digital purchases have a major impact on its carbon and environmental footprint. Any organisation seeking to reduce this footprint should establish a sustainable procurement policy. This includes limiting non-essential purchases while prioritising eco-designed products, refurbished equipment and products with high repairability potential.

‍

To support sustainable procurement efforts, organisations can favour certified products. By implementing these environmentally responsible practices, procurement teams can significantly reduce employees' equipment-related carbon footprints before devices even enter use.

6.1.5 Sort emails and limit excessive data storage

It is often said that sorting emails should be a priority in the fight against digital pollution. Indeed, inboxes are frequently overflowing with unopened marketing messages and spam. However, this claim has been greatly exaggerated and stems from early estimates of email carbon footprints, which were initially assessed at 4 kgCO₂eq—or even 35 kgCO₂eq with an attachment. However, more recent data suggest a much lower impact.

‍

A short email without attachments is now estimated to emit around 0.4 kgCO₂eq, approximately ten times less than earlier estimates. Manually sorting emails is therefore not a priority measure, except when deleting the largest messages. Nevertheless, several simple actions remain useful to tackle email carbon footprint:

• create exclusion rules to automatically delete emails containing certain keywords, such as "unsubscribe";
• unsubscribe from unread newsletters and mailing lists;
• clean up your own mailing lists by removing contacts that are no longer relevant;
• favour download links over attachments and avoid images in email signatures;
• limit the number of emails sent and recipients included whenever possible.

‍

Beyond email systems, excessive data storage in cloud services is particularly energy intensive. Regularly sorting and decluttering online storage spaces can therefore help reduce environmental impact.

6.1.6 Adopt eco-design practices for products and services

Organisations that design digital products or services have a major role to play in combating pollution within the sector. Eco-design approaches help reduce the full range of environmental impacts associated with their offerings. The first step in creating sustainable products or solutions is to question their usefulness and relevance. It is equally important to consider any induced effects, rebound effects or acceleration effects that products may generate.

‍

Once a project is deemed worthwhile, it is recommended to follow the LCA methodology to identify opportunities for reducing the impacts of the future product or service. At present, this remains the most robust tool available for launching a serious eco-design approach. However, collecting the necessary data, measuring impacts and developing a quantified roadmap are technical and time-consuming tasks. This is why working with an eco-design specialist such as Sami can be valuable to most companies.

6.2 Reducing digital pollution at home

Reducing ICT environmental impacts in everyday life starts with simple habits, particularly regarding energy and consumption sobriety. Keeping smartphones, computers and other devices for as long as possible and avoiding unnecessary purchases already makes a difference. For unused older devices, it is important to identify available collection points. Devices that still function can also be donated to charities or sold to reconditioning companies.

‍

Reducing digital pollution also means managing streaming habits. Lowering image quality when 4K viewing is unnecessary is another useful habit to adopt. Cloud services and increasingly powerful smartphone cameras encourage the mass storage of photos and videos that are rarely revisited. Regularly sorting and deleting large files from online storage spaces can therefore have a significant impact.

‍

‍