As part of the #DIRECCT program, a webinar was organized to raise awareness of the environmental impact and eco-responsibility of digital technology. The DIRECCT program, by supporting the digitalization of many small and medium-sized businesses, aims to increase their resilience so that they can cope with current and future crises. Digital technology offers real potential for growth and resilience for SMEs, but is not without environmental impact. So how can we reconcile the digital transition with respect for the environment?
Thierry Téné, Director of Afrique RSE and co-founder of Doing Good in Africa, led the event by explaining the environmental impact of digital technology. They learned about the effects of digital technology on the environment, from the extraction of rare metals essential to the operation of tools to the energy consumption of the servers that store data, right through to the management of digital waste.
“With the advent of digital technology, and faced with the pressure of deforestation, there has been a whole movement to digitize in order to reduce environmental impact. But the reality is that sometimes, by going digital, your carbon footprint can be higher than by using paper (…) depending on the energy source that powers the network, your environmental impact linked to digital, regardless of the initiatives you take to reduce it, may already be higher.”