Digital Resolutions for a Greener Digital World in 2025
January 13, 2025 - 2:00pm
As collective awareness of environmental issues continues to grow, it is essential to reflect on how our digital habits can contribute to resource preservation. The digital sector, while indispensable, has a considerable ecological impact, particularly regarding energy consumption and electronic waste management. Here are some simple and effective resolutions to adopt for a greener digital use in 2025.
Reduce Online Energy Consumption
The digital sector is one of the most energy-intensive, especially through the use of data centers that store and process our data. However, there are many ways to limit this consumption.
Easy Practices to Adopt:
Limit Video Streaming: Prefer lower resolution content when high definition is not necessary, and listen to your favorite podcasts and shows without the associated video.
Disable Autoplay Features: Whether on social media or video platforms, autoplay generates unnecessary and easily avoidable traffic.
Avoid App and Site Overload: Close unused apps and regularly clean your files to reduce your devices' energy consumption.
Choose More Sustainable Devices
Digital devices have a limited lifespan and energy-intensive production, but their impact can be reduced by making more responsible choices.
Easy Practices to Adopt:
Extend Device Lifespan: Instead of succumbing to the temptation of the latest model, opt for repairs or software updates that prolong your equipment's life. You can have your mobile repaired whether it is under warranty or not.
Recycle Old Devices: When your devices are no longer usable or it's time to replace them, recycling is crucial to recover valuable components. Through our Re program, we take back your old mobiles directly in one of our shops. The value of your mobile will be estimated based on its condition and model, and you will receive a voucher equivalent to that value. You can also estimate your mobile's value online.
Buy Eco-designed Devices: Choosing devices designed for resource efficiency has a significant impact on their energy footprint, especially for smartphones and tablets. The Fairphone is the most well-known mobile in the responsible phone category, balancing digital use and environmental respect.
Identify the Repairability Index of Your Electronic Devices: This index evaluates how easily a device can be repaired, considering factors such as the availability of spare parts, technical documentation provided to repairers, and the ease of disassembling components. It is available on mobile technical sheets and helps choose devices while limiting the risks of planned obsolescence.
Adopt Eco-responsible Use of Cloud and Online Services
Cloud services, essential today, represent a significant portion of the digital carbon footprint. However, more rational management of these services can reduce their environmental impact.
Easy Practices to Adopt:
Reduce Email Consumption: An email with heavy attachments has a larger carbon footprint than a simple text. Consider reducing the size of your emails or using more efficient file-sharing tools. Additionally, keeping all your email exchanges in your inbox is unnecessary. Regularly delete unnecessary emails.
Optimize Online Storage: It is tempting to store everything in the cloud due to its large capacity. However, avoid this trap that could significantly increase your digital impact. Regularly delete documents, photos, or videos that you no longer use.
Daily Small Gestures
The daily actions we adopt in our digital use can also make a significant difference.
Easy Practices to Adopt:
Turn Off Devices When Not in Use: A simple yet effective action: turning off your devices instead of leaving them on standby reduces their energy consumption.
Limit Notifications: Too many constant notifications can disrupt your concentration and lead to additional energy consumption. To avoid distractions and easily limit your impact, minimize notification permissions.
Prefer Local Connections: When possible, connect via Wi-Fi rather than mobile data, as it consumes less energy.
2025: A Greener Future is Just a Click Away
In 2025, every small gesture counts. Digital technology can be a driver of sustainable development, provided we change our behaviors to make it more environmentally friendly. From reducing energy consumption to optimizing cloud services and recycling our devices, there are many simple resolutions to adopt for greener digital use. Together, let’s mobilize today to ensure that the digital world of tomorrow serves our planet as well.