{"id":48682,"date":"2025-09-11T09:00:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T07:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sqorus.com\/?p=48682"},"modified":"2025-09-15T12:19:41","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T10:19:41","slug":"digital-responsibility-rethinking-our-information-systems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sqorus.com\/en\/digital-responsibility-rethinking-our-information-systems\/","title":{"rendered":"A responsible digital approach: rethinking our information systems"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ custom_padding=”||5%||false|false” inline_fonts=”Roboto” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]Although they form the backbone of modern organizations, information systems<\/strong> (or IS<\/a>) are often perceived as “immaterial”, despite their very real environmental impact<\/strong>. Implementing aresponsible digital<\/a> approach <\/strong> is now becoming essential for companies wishing to reconcile digital transformation and sustainable development<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

According to the Shift Project<\/a> report (2023), the digital<\/strong> sector accounts for between 2% and 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This figure, which is rising sharply, is mainly due to the multiplication of cloud services, massive data flows and storage, and the intensive use of IT infrastructures. This situation calls for in-depth reflection on digital sobriety and the adoption of more responsible practices. <\/p>\n

In France,ADEME<\/a> estimates that a company’s information systems<\/strong> account for an average of 25-50% of itsdigital ecological footprint<\/strong>, far more than its workstations. Between data center energy consumption<\/strong>, rapid hardware renewal, oversized applications and non-optimized software, the impacts are multiple and still poorly controlled. <\/p>\n

How far have we really come in mapping and taking these impacts into account? And can we identify real avenues for progress that take them into account?
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ custom_padding=”||||false|false” inline_fonts=”Roboto” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n

The environmental impact of digital technology: IS at the heart of ecological issues<\/h2>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ custom_padding=”||||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ inline_fonts=”Roboto” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

Is IS the victim of a system beyond its control?<\/h3>\n

The mainenvironmental impact<\/strong> induced by IS<\/strong> is not specific to them, but is in fact linked to that of digital<\/strong> technology in the broadest sense. The manufacture of equipment, for example, generates the majority of thedigital carbon footprint<\/strong>. In Europe, this accounts for between 54% and 78% of the footprint, depending on the source. To better understand the global challenges of CSR, discover the preconceived ideas about CSR that must be overcome<\/a>.[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ background_color=”#f7fbff” custom_margin=”||8%||false|false” custom_padding=”5%|5%|5%|5%|true|true” border_radii=”on|23px|23px|23px|23px” inline_fonts=”Roboto” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]To better understand the global challenges of CSR, discover the preconceived ideas about CSR that must be overcome<\/a>.
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ custom_padding=”||||false|false” inline_fonts=”Roboto” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n

Natural resources under pressure: the hidden cost of digital technology<\/h3>\n

In addition to the energy consumption<\/strong> required for their manufacture, this equipment requires rare and polluting minerals (lithium, cobalt, rare earths), often extracted under ecological and social conditions that raise questions. A good illustration of the emergence of new mineral requirements is the number of elements in the periodic table used in the pre-digital era, compared with the number used today.
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ background_color=”#f7fbff” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”5%|5%|5%|5%|true|true” hover_enabled=”0″ border_radii=”on|23px|23px|23px|23px” inline_fonts=”Roboto” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]ADEME estimates that only around 10 elements were used in the 1980s, and around 60 in 2010, including the so-called critical metals (gallium, germanium, neodymium, etc.), and around 90 today.
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ custom_padding=”||||false|false” inline_fonts=”Roboto” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]This growth, which responds to a massive global need, is obviously having difficulty keeping up with and reducing its consequent impacts. Soil and water pollution, CO2 emissions, the destruction of biodiversity and the depletion of resources are just some of the consequences that the end consumer has difficulty in perceiving. <\/p>\n

The growing problem of electronic waste and recycling<\/h3>\n

This diversity of components also raises questions about the treatment of WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment), which is more difficult to process due to its complexity. They require equally complex reuse and recycling<\/strong> circuits, putting to the test Lavoisier’s famous adage that “nothing is lost, everything is transformed”. <\/p>\n

In response to these waste issues, we have seen the emergence of new regulatory pressures weighing on manufacturers (ESPR, AGEC) as well as on the states themselves (European WEEE directive). A first step towards awareness, but one which demonstrates the way in which these issues are dealt with. <\/p>\n

Water consumption: the little-known challenge facing data centers<\/h3>\n

Fresh water is also a major digital topic, and in view of the current and future challenges surrounding water, it could become the main one. Where does this consumption take place? In addition to the water needs associated with resource extraction and materials manufacturing, the water cycle in digital technology continues with tool cooling. <\/p>\n

To avoid overheating, data centers use two main cooling methods:<\/p>\n