Green IT; myth or reality?

Before going into more detail on the concept of Green IT, it would be useful to position the subject within the framework of traditional notions of sustainable development.

Green IT aims to address the environmental impact, as defined by ISO 26000, of industry, products and services in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector. This issue concerns not only the ICT sector, but also all organizations that use IT or telecommunications systems for their employees or customers.

At an organizational level, Green IT can therefore be seen as a subset of a sustainable development approach that can be based on known standards, at the very least in an "organization" approach:

• ISO 26000 guidelines: Green IT addresses part of the environmental field;

• ISO 14001 management system: the indicators to be monitored as part of a Green IT policy or approach are an integral part of the scope of application of an environmental management system. As such, compliance with regulations (RoHs, e-waste directive, etc.) is part of the scope;

• ISO 50001 energy management system: since energy consumption is an important theme in any Green IT approach, energy monitoring of ICT-related elements will be an integral part of an EMS;

• organizations' greenhouse gas footprint: as part of the CO ₂ footprint for organizations established by the decree implementing Article 75 of the Grenelle II law, Green IT will be a key focus for controlling GHG emissions, particularly for tertiary organizations.

Green IT is therefore not a subject "in addition" to other environmental management approaches, but a lever for action and transformation of a sustainable development policy.