Digital technology facing up to itself: How Inria is working towards a sustainable transition

Digital technology, which is driving innovation and social change, is also a sector facing a worrying environmental trajectory. While the International Telecommunication Union is proposing a trajectory compatible with the Paris Agreement involving a 45% reduction in the sector's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030, a joint study by Arcep and ADEME predicts a 45% increase in these emissions over the same period, in France alone, if current trends continue. This underscores the urgent need to radically rethink the way in which digital technologies are designed and deployed.

It is against this backdrop that the eco-responsible digital pillar of Inria's ‘Digital and the Environment’ programme is being launched in 2022, with the aim of providing the best possible support for the actions and major projects that Inria is piloting on the major challenges of digital technology for the environment, as well as addressing the environmental impact of digital technology.

This part of the ‘digital and the environment’ programme, which could be called ‘digital face to face’, aims to measure, assess, reduce and control the environmental impact of digital technology. Its work and projects are based on three major objectives: to produce scientific and technical contributions, to support public policies on these subjects, and finally to disseminate knowledge. 

‘Inria is working with various players in the digital sector to carry out studies and create models and benchmarks to standardise the way in which we assess the environmental impact of digital technology. One of the objectives is to provide tools for public debate by enabling the development of methodologies that can be adopted by companies in various digital-related sectors. This is the case, for example, with the Product Category Rules (PCR) developed by ADEME, to which we contribute’, explains Benjamin Ninassi, deputy head of Inria's “Digital and the Environment” programme. 

Since the adoption of the REEN law (law no. 2021-1485 of 15 November 2021 aimed at reducing the environmental footprint of digital technology in France), Inria has been working with ADEME and Arcep to develop tools and standards that meet the environmental objectives set by France. These initiatives have resulted in the creation of the Observatoire des impacts environnementaux du numérique, a key body whose aim is to provide reliable data and analysis tools to inform public and private decision-making.

One of the Observatory's flagship projects, to which Inria has contributed, is the Référentiel général d'écoconception de services numériques. This guide, inspired by regulatory initiatives such as the RGPD and the RG2A, provides companies with a clear framework for integrating ecodesign into their practices and thus limiting the ecological impact of digital services. It aims to become an industry standard, supporting the transition to more sustainable practices.

At the same time, as part of the Observatory on the Environmental Impact of Digital Technology, Inria has taken part in a wide-ranging historical and prospective study of the critical metals needed by the digital industry. Conducted by ADEME, this work explored the geostrategic and environmental implications of the extraction and use of these resources, while offering avenues for more sustainable management of these materials.

The IT For Green study illustrates another facet of this pillar. This project focuses on the environmental benefits of digital solutions, seeking to quantify the environmental gains they can generate in various sectors. This work is adding to our understanding of the complex interactions between digital technology and the environment, by identifying the positive levers that exist.

Inria is also taking concrete action to reverse current trends, in line with the objectives it has set itself in its ‘digital and the environment’ programme. The ALT IMPACT programme, co-sponsored with ADEME and CNRS, is central to this ambition. With funding of around €15 million, this project aims to reduce the environmental footprint of digital technology in absolute terms, by deploying digital sobriety.

ALT IMPACT has three main focuses:

The first concerns the construction and deployment of training and awareness-raising initiatives, in particular to prepare tomorrow's designers to integrate responsible practices into their professions. The Inria MOOC ‘Environmental Impacts of Digital Technology’, launched in 2021, will be updated and enriched in 2025 and will reach a wide audience, from students to professionals. In addition, a skills repository on digital sobriety has been designed for use by training organisations. Its integration into the new PIX+ Numérique Responsable certification will enable it to be widely disseminated to engineering schools.

The second, the programme's scientific and technical axis, involves the creation of an open database on the environmental impact of digital equipment and services, and the development of Product Category Rules (PCR) to standardise certain calculation methodologies. These tools will enable companies to better understand and assess the environmental impact of the technologies they use.

The third area concerns the deployment of responsible digital strategies in organisations, businesses and local authorities, and the implementation of the first two areas. 

All these actions are part of an ambitious approach: to bring our digital uses more into line with a sustainable trajectory, particularly with the environmental objectives defined by the Paris Agreement. Through its research, its collaborations and its ‘digital and environment’ programme, Inria is playing a key role in this transformation.