Circular ICT

ICT is a vital part of many public organizations. This sub-project aims at both reducing the emissions of ICT-procurement, but also reducing the waste of ICT-equipment at the end of its lifetime. Read more about the sub-project below!

The ICT-area is an area with large potential for reduction in climate impact. In this sub-area of the project, ICT equipment includes purchase categories such as PCs and monitors, tablets, mobile phones, multifunction machines, AV-equipment and cloud services.

In February 2022 the project hosted the Nordic Circular ICT Dialogue Conference where public buyers presented their upcoming ICT needs and the market presented their solutions. We have established a network of ambitious purchasers with the goal of cooperating in solving the most pressing circular and climate-related challenges related to ICT. The network has had a physical meeting in Helsinki and meets regularly online. A sub-group has been established to look particularly into the area of cloud-services. At the end of 2022, the project announced available funding for an innovative ICT-procurement that was concluded in 2023.

Nordic network on ICT

Motiva (Lead - FI)
DFØ (NO)
Statens Inköpscentral (SE)
SKI (DK)
Helsinki (FI)
Vantaa (FI)
København (DK)

Goals

Increase cooperation and experience exchange across the Nordics.
Increase knowledge on making more circular and climate friendly furniture procurement.
Facilitate innovative ICT procurement.

Latest activities

Nordic Workshop on Greening ICT Procurement: Circular and Sustainable ICT Solutions in Copenhagen 27-28 May

Overview

Central government procurement, information and digitalisation bodies represnting four Nordic countries, along with three sector leaders met to discuss Greening ICT in the Nordics, focusing on public procurement as key driver for success.

Despite the potential to reduce the ICT footprint by a whoping 85% , challenges in cybersecurity and policy adoption hinder progress towards the green transition. The group shared project updates, challenges, success stories, and recommendations for Green ICT. A key takeaway is that knowledge sharing among competent partners is crucial for overcoming circularity challenges in the ICT sector.

Hosted by SKI in Copenhagen and moderated by Motiva, the event is part of the Nordic Vision project Circular and Climate Friendly Public Procurement (CCFPP). Serves a key focus area of "Promoting Circular and Sustainable ICT Solutions in the Nordics".

[Manufacturing] just 3 new laptops produce nearly a tonne of CO2, which is equivalent to filling a bus or a house... What if we could remove that CO2 impact of buying a new laptop and purchase another way? Without doing anything else, this would help reduce the carbon footprint of buying a laptop by 85%.
Circular Computing

Participants

The Danish Agency for Digital Government, Digitaliseringsstyrelsen
The Danish State and Local Government Procurement Services, Staten og Kommunernes Indkøbsservice (SKI)
The Finnish Information Society Development Centre, TIEKE
Foxway
Inrego
Motiva (FI)
ThreeStepIT
The Municipality of Herning, Herning Kommune (DK)
The National Agency for Public Procurement, Upphandlingsmyndigheten (SE)
The Norwegian Agency for Public and Financial Management, Direktoratet for forvaltning og økonomistyring (DFØ)
The State Purchasing Centre, Statens inköpscentral (SE)

Agenda highlights

Kick-off with SKI and Motiva, setting the stage for a collaborative and informative workshop.
Reviewing the Nordic Software Criteria with TIEKE and SKI, based on the following priciples of Green ICT: Energy Efficiency, Resource Efficiency, Sustainable Design, and Responsible Design.
Capacity building with SKI and Motiva introducing the significance of behavioral aspects in sustainable ICT and procurement.
Sector Presentations and Case Studies by ThreeStepIT, Foxway and Inrego demonstrating presented low-threshold strategies for achieving an 85% reduction in ICT carbon footprint through secure and efficient procurement plans. The Municipality of Gladsaxe in Denmark was highlighted as the only municipality in the Nordic region to purchase used PCs.
Brainstorming Session facilitated by ThreeStepIT, Foxway and Inrego where the group discussed strategies and methods to guide procurers and ICT managers toward making circular ICT decisions and overcoming preconceptions and myths of used ICT.
Policy Recommendations and Outcomes were compiled into a policy brief for procurers and ICT managers, supporting their transition to a circular economy.
Evening Program aimed at strengthening collaboration among the diverse Nordic group.