Sustainability is a central concept of the 21st century and aims to preserve the Earth as a basis for life and to handle its limited resources consciously. The term is used to discuss local and global challenges of our time. In particular, digital transformation has contributed to the increasing energy demand in recent decades and emphasized the importance of sustainability.
The principle of sustainability provides for using only as many resources as can naturally regrow to maintain a stable ecological balance. This principle is based on the following three pillars:
Three Pillars
- Ecological Sustainability (Environment): The goal is to preserve ecosystems and promote renewable energies. This should reduce CO₂ emissions and minimize the use of fossil resources.
- Economic Sustainability (Economy): This is about securing economic growth without jeopardizing the necessary resources. Companies should pursue long-term goals and take responsibility for the environment and society.
- Social Sustainability (Society): This dimension focuses on creating a stable, just society where all members have access to a life of human dignity and social inequalities are reduced.
Global Initiatives
In 2015, the United Nations adopted the Agenda 2030 with 17 goals for sustainable development (SDGs), which encompass economic, social, and ecological objectives and are to be implemented worldwide by 2030.
These global goals find their counterpart in the ESG criteria (Environmental, Social, Governance), which companies should implement to concretely realize sustainability goals. The basic idea is that by integrating ESG principles, companies promote ecologically responsible, socially just, and well-managed business practices. This aims not only to minimize risks but also to create long-term value.
IT and Sustainability
Sustainability in IT
Sustainability in IT refers to operational areas such as infrastructure, IT operations, hardware, software development, and IT-supported processes. The goal is to reduce the energy consumption and environmental impact of IT systems. An example would be recycling outdated hardware instead of disposing of it. In this context, Green IT is often mentioned. Green IT refers to environmentally friendly technologies and practices that minimize the ecological footprint.
Sustainability through IT
In contrast, sustainability through IT primarily focuses on IT-supported solutions such as cloud services, but also the use of AI and digital transformation as a whole. For example, AI can optimize operational processes to work more resource-efficiently. Both areas emphasize the involvement of humans, as habits and values influence the initiatives and thus require a human rethinking.
Sustainable Data Centers
In the context of data center sustainability, the PUE value (Power Usage Effectiveness) plays a central role. It measures the energy efficiency of a data center by relating the total energy consumption to the energy used directly for IT equipment. A lower PUE value indicates higher efficiency and thus more sustainable operation.
