Digital decarbonisation – why your data has a carbon cost
It’s time to shine a light on our data usage, reduce it and make digital technologies more sustainable
The concept and research field of digital decarbonisation was developed by Professors Tom Jackson and Ian Hodgkinson to highlight the carbon impact of our reliance on digital technologies.
They have since popularised the terms digital decarbonisation, dark data, single-use knowledge and data waste.
But what do these concepts mean for you and your organisation?
Digital systems are not immaterial
They consume energy and have a carbon cost
Digital technologies are widely understood to play an important role in addressing climate change by improving efficiency, reducing travel and enabling smarter systems.
However, there is growing international recognition that our digital activity has an environmental impact that is poorly understood and rarely measured.
Every piece of data that is stored, processed and transmitted relies on physical infrastructure – servers, networks and data centres that are powered and cooled 24/7.
As the volume of global data continues to rise, the energy required to support it simultaneously surges. This is where digital decarbonisation becomes relevant.
Reframing the role of digital
Professors Tom Jackson and Ian Hodgkinson (Loughborough Business School) pioneered the concept of digital decarbonisation, publishing their initial research in the seminal article, Keeping a lower profile: how firms can reduce their digital carbon footprints (2022).
In it, they explored the relationship between data growth, organisational behaviour and environmental sustainability.
Their work identified a gap in how digital technologies are understood. While widely seen as tools for enabling sustainability, the emissions generated by digital systems are largely ignored. This opacity hides a disturbing story.
Their reframing of the conversation has informed wider discussions led by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
As a result, the environmental implications of data, artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure are increasingly being considered.
The hidden cost of dark data
Dark data is information that is collected and stored but rarely used. It has little or no value, but its storage and maintenance consume energy. Shockingly, a huge proportion of organisational data falls into this category. In some cases, forming the majority.
The implication is straightforward. Unused data contributes to emissions. The more data an organisation retains without purpose, the bigger its digital carbon footprint becomes.
The CO2e Data Calculator, developed by Jackson and Hodgkinson and first presented at the OECD Exploring 2023 Innovation Trends webinar in January 2023, throws into stark relief the huge environmental impact of dark data.
The concept of digital decarbonisation has helped to make the environmental impact of unused data and the sustainability of digital systems more visible and measurable.
Why we must act now
The significance of digital decarbonisation has grown rapidly in recent years:
Data volumes are increasing at an unprecedented rate
Artificial intelligence is driving new levels of computational demand
Cloud computing continues to expand
These trends are increasing the energy used by digital infrastructure at an alarming rate.
Policy and industry bodies worldwide are beginning to acknowledge the issue:
- The WEF has highlighted the opportunities and risks associated with digital growth
- OECD frameworks increasingly recognise the environmental footprint of digital technologies
The direction of travel is clear. Digital systems need to be governed and managed as part of a global climate strategy.
The impact of AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) has increased the challenge.
AI systems depend on large datasets and high levels of computational power, increasing demand for storage, processing and energy.
How data is managed is now directly linked to the environmental impact of AI.
The WEF white paper Artificial Intelligence’s Energy Paradox: Challenges and Opportunities (launched at the WEF Annual Meeting 2025 in Davos) references digital decarbonisation research, including the work of Jackson and Hodgkinson, and states:
“Within AI’s first stage (planning and data collection), digital decarbonization techniques can address dark data, which occupies server space and consumes electricity without providing value. For some organizations, dark data may account for as much as 60-75% of stored data.
“Digital decarbonization strategies can identify and eliminate dark data, reducing storage and electricity consumption. Opportunities may also exist to repurpose dark data to generate value.”
Inefficient practices, particularly the accumulation of dark data, significantly increase energy use. Conversely, more efficient data governance can reduce emissions and costs.
This has positioned digital decarbonisation as an important consideration within discussions on the future of AI and sustainability.
Implications for organisations
Digital decarbonisation introduces a different way of thinking about data.
Many organisations retain large amounts of data without a clear purpose – increasing storage requirements, infrastructure demand and, crucially, emissions.
For example, a staggering 2.5–3.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions are generated by data centres. Even aviation clocks up fewer, approximately 2.1%–2.4% (Hessam Lavi).
Reducing data is not just about efficiency – it’s about sustainability.
Improving data governance, removing redundant information and focusing on reuse will reduce our environmental impacts and operational costs.
This is not solely a technical issue. Organisational behaviours and decision-making processes play a central role in shaping digital emissions.
Implications for our everyday use
The concept extends beyond organisations to our individual everyday use.
Digital behaviour – such as storing documents and images, sending emails and using cloud services – contributes in small ways to the overall demand for data infrastructure.
Individually, these actions may be small. Collectively, they are significant. It’s up to all of us to rethink our digital behaviour and reduce our personal dark data.
Now.
What can I do?
Even small changes can make a big difference, reducing our personal digital carbon footprints.
Take stock – see your digital footprint
Begin with a comprehensive data audit – review what you have saved.
Set boundaries – decide what’s worth keeping
Reduce unnecessary storage on high-cost infrastructure – cut your carbon outlay.
Monitor, measure, maintain – keep the gains
Check in regularly to make sure your data estate stays lean and compliant.
An emerging shift
Digital decarbonisation is a relatively new field, but its relevance is increasing.
As global data volumes continue to rise, the environmental impact of digital systems will become more visible – and increasingly difficult to ignore.
The central idea is simple. Data is not free. It has a high cost, financially and environmentally.
The University-developed concept of digital decarbonisation and terms like dark data are beginning to shape how organisations and policymakers think about these costs, guiding discussions around sustainability, technology and business strategy.
Digital transformation has been defined by growth. More data, more systems, more capability.
Digital decarbonisation introduces a new and very important question:
Can we expect better outcomes, not from more data, but from using less – more effectively?
Here at the University, we have already taken action. Together, we have removed more than 44 terabytes (TB) of digital data waste so far.
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