Circular ICT

Overview

Central government procurement, information and digitalisation bodies representing 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 whopping 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), and 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 (DK)
• The Danish State and Local Government Procurement Services, Staten og Kommunernes Indkøbsservice (SKI) (DK)
• The Finnish Information Society Development Centre, TIEKE (FI)
• 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) (NO)
• 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 principles 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