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Responsible digital technology
This content was published under the government of Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne.
Published 01/01/2023 | Modified 19/02/2024
Digital technologies and their uses are strongly established in our daily lives. They are, moreover, a powerful lever for innovation in the service of the energy and ecological transition. In particular, they open up a wide range of possibilities for optimizing energy consumption and uses in all areas. Digital technologies nevertheless have a growing environmental impact which must be taken into account now. This involves ensuring that they play their full part in the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, energy sobriety and the preservation of resources, whether in terms of raw materials or water. or even biodiversity. As part of France 2030, the eco-responsible Digital acceleration strategy aims to develop an eco-responsible, competitive and sovereign digital economy. In 2020, digital represented 2.5% of France's annual carbon footprint and 10% of its electricity consumption. annual. Without action, greenhouse gas emissions could increase by more than 45% by 2030. Developing the eco-responsibility of the digital sector while developing a competitive and more sober offer of digital solutions is therefore an essential condition for its sustainability. serving society as well as energy and ecological transitions.
This is the whole meaning of the eco-responsible digital acceleration strategy desired by the Prime Minister within the framework of France 2030.
Under the aegis of the General Secretariat for Investment and co-led by the Ministries of Ecological Transition and the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, this strategy concretizes the financial and investment component of the France's pioneering commitment to digital eco-responsibility as a competitiveness accelerator for French players.
The result of interministerial work and all parties associated with the High Committee for Eco-Responsible Digital Technology, the strategy is structured around 4 areas of action and 12 measures:
- Develop knowledge of the environmental footprint of digital technology and support research into eco-design and sobriety of digital solutions;
- Promote innovation for a circular economy in the digital sector in order to make France a leader in eco-design, sobriety and extending the lifespan of digital solutions;
- Create a continuing and initial training offer relating to responsible digital technology;
- Raise awareness and support the various stakeholders as part of this eco-responsible digital transformation.
National coordinator of the strategy : Cécile GOUBET (General Commission for Sustainable Development)
Concretely, the strategy is structured around 4 axes and 12 measures
Enriching knowledge of the environmental footprint of digital technology and research into the eco-design and sobriety of digital solutions
Measure 1 : Launch a call for projects to finance the development of PCR[1] type benchmarks for digital technology.
In order to facilitate the measurement and evaluation of the digital environmental footprint by all stakeholders, the acceleration strategy supports the creation of PCR (product category rules) type benchmarks for all digital services and equipment. , for which consensual, quality, free and open-access calculation rules are necessary.
Measure 2 : Bring out concrete cases of measuring the environmental impacts of emerging digital services and the equipment associated with these innovative services serving the ecosystem.
As digital technologies are constantly evolving, the acceleration strategy will finance the completion of several expert projects or studies (from 6 to 12 months) to measure the net impact of different use cases of digital technologies (i.e. presenting the sum of environmental costs and benefits) in order to inform all stakeholders. The first studies could address the following themes: use cases of metaverses, those in connected territory applications, digital advertising, use cases in education and training, the entry of the cloud into the company (cloudification).
Measure 3: Launch research actions on priority projects.
The acceleration strategy will support research to amplify and strengthen the ecosystem's actions in terms of footprint measurement, eco-design and digital sobriety. This action will make it possible to:
- Better measure environmental impact with detailed data and methodologies as well as global assessments integrating a multidisciplinary approach (including economics and sociology).
- Better understand the mechanisms underlying the development of digital tools and services by analyzing their uses as well as the technical-economic, social and environmental dimensions.
- Develop methodologies and standards aimed at promoting the reuse of equipment and the reprogramming of services by analyzing the needs for new technologies and digital life cycles.
- Be able to objectify the net gain/loss for society and the digital environment in the complete life cycle.
- Preparing digital technology to evolve in a constrained world.
Promoting innovation to make France a leader in eco-design, sobriety and extending the lifespan of digital solutions
Measure 4: Launch a call for projects “Financing innovation in order to support the development of an innovative, circular economy with a lower environmental impact” (ECONUM) (a first tranche of €50M can be replenished - France 2030).
The acceleration strategy aims to develop a competitive offering of responsible digital products and services allowing French and European players to differentiate themselves from their competitors. The themes of the call for projects concern:
- Ecodesign (product or service).
- Reuse, repair and reconditioning.
- Responsible production models (“economy of functionality and cooperation”, “low tech”).
Measure 5 : Identify levers to better direct public procurement towards investments both in the circular economy sector and in the development of an eco-designed digital offer. In this regard, it is:
- Improve the meeting between supply and demand for responsible digital solutions.
- Promote the use and development of responsible digital solutions among public actors.
Measure 6: Encourage and support the creation of support structures for circular economy players in the digital sector: incubators and accelerators
This measure aims to respond to the need for structuring and industrialization of digital players in the circular economy.
Measure 7: Meet the equity financing needs of companies in the eco-responsible digital ecosystem, including the functionality and cooperation economy.
To do this, it is proposed in the short term to make existing systems known to companies in the digital functional economy sector seeking participation. In the medium term, it will involve monitoring the depth of the market and financing needs as well as financing trends abroad, in order to analyze the relevance of additional equity support measures.
Measure 8 : Promote responsible digital technology through collaboration on certain calls for projects proposed in other acceleration strategies, for which digital technology becomes a central element in the competitive development of the sector concerned.
Create a continuous and initial training offer relating to eco-design and digital sobriety
Measure 9: Mobilize the call for expressions of interest "Skills and professions of the future" (AMI CMA) and in particular its "Greening of digital technology" section, with a view to supporting diagnostic and training projects dedicated to responsible digital technology (initial, ongoing) (€50M - estimated provisional budget by AMI CMA).
Within the framework of the AMI CMA, projects have already been supported in this area. This is particularly the case for:
- Diagnostic "Study, Uses and Prospects to accelerate the greening of digital technology" (EUPAVEN), carried out by the Moulin Digital association, for an amount of €111K. The latter notably offers teaching in terms of Green IT skills and training as well as action levers in terms of training to reduce the impact of digital technology on the environment.
- VerIT project, supported by Grenoble Alpes University, to the tune of €3.3M. It provides for the implementation of awareness-raising actions for the general public, the development of transversal teaching units accessible from all sectors, the greening of training and the implementation of training for trainers.
Acculturate and support the different stakeholders as part of this digital transformation
Measure 10 : Support companies in the digital sector in the process of reducing the environmental footprint of their products and services (carbon footprint and energy efficiency) and support local authorities in implementing responsible digital technology on their scale.
The acceleration strategy may, if necessary and/or possible, support existing systems (see Ademe's PERFECTO call for projects; Ademe's technical, methodological and financial systems intended for VSEs/SMEs to support them in their ecological transition; ANCT's "Responsible Digital" experiment, etc.).
Measure 11: Launch a call for projects “Innovative digital awareness tools”.
Numerous obligations exist in terms of consumer information but they can be further deployed and mobilized. It is therefore a question of launching a call for projects aimed at financing:
- The design of consumer information solutions, directly integrated into the product or service itself.
- The design of innovative solutions for informing consumers about the feasibility, location or cost of a repair or the availability of a spare part.
- The design of innovative solutions for collecting used terminals.
Measure 12 : Set up a call for projects “Territorial demonstrator of the functional economy in the digital sector” to support the ecological transition in the territories (€20M - France 2030).
The aim is to mobilise regions and economic players who are convinced of the role of the functional economy in the sustainable development of territories and who have been leading development programmes in this area for several years.