From Code to Carbon: A Look at the Environmental Impact of Software

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October 29, 2023 Business

When you think about which industries have the biggest carbon footprints, your mind naturally goes to transportation, manufacturing and agriculture, all of which typically rely on fossil fuels. But you might be surprised to learn that software has a colossal environmental impact, too. To be precise, it is responsible for around 3% of global carbon emissions—the same figure as the aviation industry!

However, it’s important to recognise that the software development industry is acutely aware of its environmental impact and is keen to take decisive action. Consequently, a growing number of companies are using sustainability reporting platforms to measure their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance. You might be thinking to yourself, “What else can I do to reduce their environmental impact beyond simply measuring key metrics?” In this article, we explore how businesses can make the software development process more sustainable to reduce their carbon footprints.

The Software Development Dilemma: Massive Energy Consumption

The software development process, which spans creation, deployment and operations, comes with a cost: a hefty carbon footprint. Let’s take a look at how each stage contributes to the industry’s large carbon footprint:

Software creation

During the software creation process, firms set up servers and databases that consume copious amounts of electricity. The coding process and automated and manual software tests also consume energy, especially if tests occur frequently.

Software deployment

The deployment phase is also very energy-intensive. Hosting software requires large data centres, which require a lot of electricity. The amount data centres use increases when you take load balancing and software updates into consideration. As you can imagine, a huge amount of electricity is required for these complex processes. For example, did you know that in 2022, estimated global data centre electricity consumption was between 240-340TWh¹, or approximately 1% of global final electricity demand, according to the International Energy Agency?

Operations

It’s also essential to take the end user’s device into consideration when discussing software energy consumption. Running on a device uses energy, and every interaction between the user and the software, no matter how small, involves the transmission of data, which consumes energy at both ends. That’s not to mention the energy used in manufacturing the device in the first place!

The bottom line is that the software development process is incredibly energy-intensive, and businesses that are serious about sustainability must take steps to make the software development process less damaging to the environment.

5 Strategies for Greener, More Sustainable Software Development

The good news for companies hoping to improve is that several strategies can be employed to make software development and testing more sustainable. Let’s delve into these approaches:

1. Smart or automated testing

Smart testing involves strategically planning and executing tests to use fewer resources. By focusing on relevant tests, you can significantly reduce energy consumption. Automated testing will also help to reduce energy consumption, as they are generally faster and more efficient than manual tests, but this isn’t always the case.

2. Performance engineering

Another way to make your software development process greener is to employ performance engineering. This approach involves creating software with performance criteria in mind from the very start, helping you develop applications that consume fewer resources.

3. Energy-efficient testing

Reduce strain on energy infrastructure by scheduling software testing during off-peak hours. But sustainability isn’t the only benefit of doing this because you may also benefit from off-peak electricity rates! Additionally, when the time comes to invest in new equipment, consider purchasing energy-efficient hardware to reduce your business’s energy consumption.

4. Virtual machines

The beauty of virtualisation is that it allows for multiple tests on a single server using a virtual testing environment, reducing the number of energy-intensive physical servers needed. Not only does this lower energy consumption, but it also reduces electronic waste.

5. Renewable energy data centres

As we’ve established, data centres use a staggering amount of energy. Data centres tend to draw their energy from the grid, which is still mostly powered by fossil fuels that cause environmental damage. However, more and more data centres powered by renewable energy are being set up, providing software developers with a way to meaningfully reduce their environmental impact.

Measuring Progress: Using an ESG Reporting Solution

The strategies above will help you move toward a more sustainable software development process. But it’s important to have a reliable method for tracking progress, and that’s where ESG reporting software comes in. ESG platforms allow you to monitor and measure the sustainability metrics of your software development lifecycle, such as energy consumption, resource utilisation and waste management metrics.

Why use an ESG reporting platform?

ESG reporting gives your business a transparent framework that key stakeholders, such as customers and investors, can use to determine your commitment to sustainable initiatives. But it’s not just about visibility—ESG reporting also holds firms accountable for sustainability goals, ensuring that initiatives remain a priority. Finally, many countries are strengthening legislation on ESG disclosure. Regardless of the size of your business, having a robust reporting mechanism in place will help you achieve compliance should reporting regulations change.

Getting started with an ESG reporting solution

Choosing the right sustainability reporting platform for your business will help you meet your sustainability goals. Make sure to choose a platform that integrates seamlessly with your existing systems and can track the metrics most relevant to your organisation. Once you’ve chosen a suitable ESG reporting platform, you need to collect data on your chosen metrics (e.g. energy consumption, resource efficiency or waste management) and use the software to analyse the data to identify trends and pinpoint areas that require improvements.

Final Thoughts: The Environmental Impact of Software

The software industry is often overlooked when it comes to discussions about environmental impact, as discussions are sometimes dominated by concerns about transportation, manufacturing and other industries with sky-high carbon emissions. However, the hard truth is that it contributes around 3% to global carbon emissions. Businesses that develop software know that they need to reduce their carbon footprints. To mitigate their impact on the environment, businesses are employing sustainable software development practices and using ESG reporting software to measure progress.