When we talk about pollution, we first think of transportation, pesticides, or the agricultural sector. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there. All of our daily actions have an environmental impact on a larger or smaller scale. And this also applies to our digital lives. In fact, digital pollution —driven by rampant consumption of digital content— continues to grow. It’s gaining ground and becoming a source of concern due to how rapidly it’s growing. Between emails, streaming, social media platforms that prioritize video content, and the rollout of 5G, digital technology is ubiquitous in our lives —and this is not without consequences. Digital ecology has therefore emerged to counter the negative effects of overconsumption of computer hardware and online content.
Digital pollution: both ubiquitous and alarming
While most people are aware of the consequences of our consumption patterns regarding food, clothing, cosmetics, and transportation, the impact of digital technology has not yet fully become part of our everyday lives. And for good reason: it is a topic that remains underdeveloped and is approached only tentatively. However, according to the latest data from ADEME ( the French Environment and Energy Management Agency), digital pollution accounts for 3.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions (1.5 times more than air travel) and 2.5% of France’s carbon footprint.
According to estimates from the Senate’s Fact-Finding Mission on the Environmental Footprint, by 2040, greenhouse gas emissions from the digital sector are expected to account for nearly 7 percent.
This primarily concerns physical equipment (phones, screens, computers, tablets)… from its design—which involves rare raw materials whose extraction consumes a great deal of energy and depletes natural resources—through transportation, use, and end-of-life disposal. Unfortunately, the more technologically advanced a digital product is, the greater its environmental impact. For example, ADEME reports that 800 kg of raw materials are required to manufacture a 2-kg computer. Furthermore, it is estimated that it takes 80 times more energy to produce 1 gram of a smartphone compared to 1 gram of a car.
Recycling connected devices is no easy task. In fact, they are often thinner and more compact—especially smartphones—which makes it harder to separate the materials they’re made of.
The Internet is no exception. Digital content is growing at a phenomenal rate. E-commerce, video, messaging apps, streaming… According to a Médiamétrie study, the French spend an average of 2 hours and 25 minutes online each day. Add to that office work and communication via messaging apps and email while working from home, and the amount of time spent in front of screens is enormous.
The carbon footprint of online video is one of the largest in the digital sector. According to The Shift Project, video-on-demand (VoD), adult video sites, and sites like YouTube account for 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Data centers are facilities used to manage computer networks and storage space. Globally, the energy consumption of all data centers combined exceeds that of France. With the rise of remote work and connected devices, the expansion of data centers has become essential. It is worth noting that 40% of the energy consumed by these data centers is used for cooling.
As for emails, we receive them every day, particularly through newsletters. It’s estimated that 80% of emails are never opened. These emails very often remain stored indefinitely in our inboxes. This means that each French person has between 10,000 and 50,000 emails stored unnecessarily. A newsletter corresponds to about 10 g of CO₂, and for an email with an attachment, the figure rises from 4 to 50 g of CO₂ depending on the size.
Finally, the arrival of 5G is heightening concerns, as a December 2020 report by the High Council for Climate states that its rollout would increase the carbon footprint of the digital sector by 18 to 45 percent.
Adopting the Right Habits to Promote Digital Sustainability
Being mindful of our use of digital products and content is everyone’s responsibility—whether we’re professionals or individuals. It’s possible to practice digital moderation both at work and at home, while still enjoying the convenience of using the Internet.
All emails that are not deleted are stored on the servers. To avoid this, sort through your emails regularly by deleting outdated newsletters and any processed emails that do not need to be archived—not to mention spam. Unsubscribing from newsletters that no longer interest you helps keep your inbox from getting unnecessarily cluttered.
Don’t be tempted to replace your smartphone too often if it still works and there’s no real need for a change. Unfortunately, we’re sometimes drawn to change simply for the pleasure of having a new product, but maximizing the lifespan of our devices is an important environmental action today. According to data from ADEME, there are between 54 and 100 million working phones sitting in drawers across France. This shows that there is still a lot of room for improvement. Consider selling the phone(s) you no longer use on the secondhand market .
When it comes to the browsing experience, turning off autoplay for videos on social media is one more step toward more ethical consumption.
There are other simple habits you can adopt in your daily life, such as closing web tabs you’re not using or turning off your internet router at night.
We shouldn't underestimate the impact of these small actions, which become significant when many of us do them.