| Some time ago, we discussed the sustainability of print products. They are often demonized as wasteful of resources, and switching to digital processes is presented as the one truly climate-friendly and green solution. (You can read more about why print still has a place in the linked article above.)
However, amid the „digital hype,” the enormous environmental and climate impact of the internet and its associated infrastructure, technologies, and hardware is often overlooked. Due to a lack of reliable data, it is difficult to estimate the extent of this impact. Various studies conducted in recent years estimate, however, that digital technologies account for between 2 and 4 percent of global emissions – roughly the same as air traffic. In addition to end devices, this issue is also caused by data transmission and, above all, data centers and servers. Very few of these are powered by renewable energies. |
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| In addition to the active influences and emissions caused by digital communication, there are also indirect effects. Digital communication and online marketing thrive on user interaction, whether through websites, email, social media, search queries, and so on. Each interaction in turn produces emissions and increases data centers’ energy consumption. While the total ecological footprint of data centers can only be estimated, various calculations put it between 200 and 500 billion kilowatt-hours. Worst-case scenarios predict this enormous consumption will multiply by 2030, reaching an estimated 3,000 kilowatt-hours per year. This estimate does not include the changes that will result from AI development. In Europe, this could increase digital technologies’ share of total European emissions from 2% to 5% by 2030. |
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Digital does not Necessarily Mean Sustainable
In our view, it is virtually impossible to make a direct general comparison between print and digital media. The speed and volume of data transmission, as well as the way digital media is used today, are completely different from physical media. Furthermore, the way we communicate has changed: People did not write letters in the same way or quantities as we send emails or text messages today.
Perhaps the closest comparison would be to consider specific marketing channels that pursue the same goal. For example, indiscriminately scattering advertisements across the internet is just as harmful to the environment as distributing flyers in the real world, despite the need to put the emission figures into perspective. (Presumably, flyers are never distributed in the same quantities as online advertisements generate views and interactions.) |
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