Considering sustainability within IT: key takeaways from UCISA conference
On 15 June David Barrett, our Head of Desktop, Print and Services, attended the inaugural conference of the UCISA Sustainability Group at the University of Reading. The group was created to allow IT professionals and procurement specialists from various universities to gather and discuss their common interest in understanding and reducing the environmental impact of IT operations. In this blog David shares his key takeaways from the event:
The conference kicked off with a keynote speech by Professor Richard Allen from the University of Reading. He emphasised the global concern for our environment and the need for immediate action to limit the damage caused by pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Throughout the event, we had speakers discussing topics like scope 3 emissions, strategies for sustainable data storage, carbon accounting for procurement, and greener approaches to managing our end user devices.
Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions that are owned or controlled by the University, scope 2 are emissions the University causes indirectly and are associated with the purchase of electricity or other energy sources, and scope 3 are all indirect emissions that are owned by our supply chain.
Most of the institutions present have set goals to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 or later (for scope 1 & 2 emissions). 2030 is also the target for carbon neutrality on campus at the University of York so it is clear that we need to urgently prioritise sustainability in our digital workplaces.
There are a few key takeaways from the conference that I plan to explore further or share with my colleagues:
End user devices: we need to realise that the majority of CO2 emissions associated with laptop computers come from their production. We should focus on extending the lifespan of our devices and actively prevent carbon emissions whenever possible. Repairing devices instead of replacing them and reissuing returned devices for maximum usage are crucial steps.
Capacity management: whenever feasible, we should aim to utilise a server's capacity effectively rather than running multiple servers with low utilisation. Increasing capacity as needed to handle spikes in demand is a more efficient approach.
Suppliers: it's important for us to understand our suppliers' commitments to achieving net zero emissions. We should ask questions about our scope 3 emissions and consider the impact of the services and goods we consume. Gaining this understanding is essential for us to truly become net zero.
Carbon accounting: John Ireland, Head of Customer Services at the University of Oxford, shared their approach to understanding carbon emissions related to their services and projects. They created an inventory of emission sources and used a carbon calculator to assess the impact across various activities. I found their approach intriguing and wondered if our organisation could integrate carbon impact into business cases and decision-making processes.
Stone Group Ltd, our current supplier of end user compute hardware, presented on their ITAD (IT asset disposition) operations. They discussed how we at the University of York have been recycling devices through their collection and recycling services. Through this process, in 2022 we recycled 6,045 devices, saved 285 tonnes of carbon and reduced our annual landfill waste by 32 metric tonnes.
E-Waste is a global problem, and Stone's commitment to reuse and then recycle devices in the UK, without any waste going to landfill, is setting the standard.
While IT does have a carbon cost associated with manufacturing and energy consumption, technology can also be part of the solution. There are changes we can make to processes and services that will make a significant impact.
Note: Carbon neutrality is widely used and there are lots of different definitions. Net zero is more useful in that it considers whether national level emissions are equal to the sequestration rate meaning that overall, emissions are "net" zero. It requires an organisation to think about the emissions that happen throughout their supply chain (scope 3) and influence. What falls under scope 3 for us may be considered scope 1 or 2 for our service providers.