Book Image

Sustainable IT Playbook for Technology Leaders

By : Niklas Sundberg
Book Image

Sustainable IT Playbook for Technology Leaders

By: Niklas Sundberg

Overview of this book

We are at a critical point in human history. Humanity is under threat, but all is not lost. We can take action! But how? Sustainable IT Playbook for Technology Leaders will show you how. It will walk you through the construction and implementation of a sustainable IT strategy and enable you to do your bit for the future of mankind. The book is split into three parts. Part I details the “why” and the clear and present danger that humanity faces today: the climate crisis. How did we get here, what are the immediate threats, what are the planetary boundaries that we need to peel back to safe levels, and what impact does IT have on society at large? Part II will focus on the "what.” It examines the nitty-gritty details of what we can do to unlock significant returns on sustainable investments toward a more sustainable future. Part III, the final part of the book, focuses on the “how.” How do you turn your ideas into action? What do you need to do to establish your baseline and your direction of travel towards your objective? This part provides tangible case studies and explains how you can start your journey today to begin delivering global and impactful objectives. By the end of this book, you’ll be able to plan, implement, and communicate a sustainable IT strategy and set yourself apart as a progressive technology leader.
Table of Contents (18 chapters)
1
Part 1: Why Is Sustainable IT Important?
4
Part 2: What Are Sustainable IT Practices?
12
Part 3: How Do You Accelerate Sustainable IT?

ITAD – the rise of a new circular industry

As we discussed earlier in this chapter, e-waste is the most significant growing waste in the world. As the volume of electronic waste in 2021 reached roughly 57 million metric tons, which is the equivalent of the weight of the entire Great Wall of China (Gill 2021), and projections for 2030 are reaching 75 million metric tons, this is a huge concern. In particular, manufacturing electronic equipment requires high consumption of resources and creates high greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, incorrect disposal or informal recycling leads to the release of highly toxic substances.

As we saw in the previous section, both the Basel Convention and WEEE Directive regulate the proper collection, documentation, and recycling of e-waste. It is worth noting that the WEEE Directive has also been widely criticized for falling short in several areas. This is primarily due to the lack of controls in place to promote the reuse and recycling...