The Scott Logic sustainability team has recently added new content to the open-source Technology Carbon Standard website. The proposed standard sets out an approach to classifying an organisation’s technology footprint in a way that enables consistent analysis and benchmarking of the carbon impact. You can read more about it in our previous blog post: Announcing the (proposed) Technology Carbon Standard.
Some of the key additions include:
- An overview of cloud services and their environmental impact in the Operational Emissions category. This covers topics like the energy efficiency of cloud versus on-premises data centres, the importance of location and grid energy mix, and best practices for sustainable cloud usage.
- In the Downstream Emissions category, details on estimating emissions from end-user devices like PCs, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Guidance is provided on calculating power draw, energy use, and resulting carbon emissions based on device type and usage duration. The embodied carbon emissions from device production are also discussed.
- A comprehensive glossary defining important terminology like carbon intensity, Renewable Energy Certificates, amortisation, and more.
- An updated resources section with links to tools like the Cloud Carbon Footprint calculator and initiatives like the Sustainable Development Goals.
- Clarification of the types of software covered in the Upstream section.
The goal of the Technology Carbon Standard is to provide the information technology sector with the knowledge needed to reduce their climate impact. As an open-source project, contributions and improvements are welcomed from the community.
Topics that we hope to expand soon include upstream and operational emissions, with guidance on quantifying emissions from hardware manufacturing, transport, data centres, and employee devices.
By increasing awareness and transparency around the carbon emissions of technology, the Technology Carbon Standard aims to accelerate the IT industry’s transition to net zero. Check out the website to learn more and get involved via the GitHub repo at: https://github.com/ScottLogic/Technology-Carbon-Standard
