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Digital terminals, that is to say the screens of our smartphones, televisions or computers, are the source of the vast majority of digital pollution in France. This is the result of a study just published by the Environment and Energy Management Agency (Ademe) and the Electronic Communications Regulatory Authority for Posts and Press Distribution (Arcep).
the digital represents 2.5% of the carbon footprint of France. Ademe has assessed the quantity of CO2 released. 16.9 MT equivalents of CO2 are emitted each year. This corresponds to the direct emissions of a car fleet of more than 12 million vehicles.
If we reduce this to the scale of an inhabitant, the annual digital impact of a French person is equivalent to more than 2250 kilometers traveled by car and this generates 300 kg of waste. In addition, digital is the source of 10% of electricity consumption in France.
The study looked at the impact of terminals, networks and data centers (data centers). For each of these segments, a dozen types of impact on the environment was analyzed as for resource depletion, ecotoxicity or climate change.
Each time, it is the “terminals” part that comes first. They are at the origin, according to the chosen criteria, of 64 to 92% of these impacts, among other things because they are numerous. Data centers account for 4 to 22% of the environmental footprint, the largest being energy consumption. As for the networks, they are responsible for 2 to 14% of the impacts.
Reuse and reconditioning
The report drawn up, the authors of the study also list about fifteen avenues to follow in an attempt to limit this impact. Among the various possible avenues, the authors recommend the reconditioning of mobile phones. It is indeed manufacturing that has the greatest impact. This equipment requires a large quantity of raw materials, which generates waste and requires energy for extraction.
Manufacturing itself also requires a large amount of energy. However, this equipment is often produced in Asia or the United States, regions where the energy mix is highly carbon-intensive.
Result: buying a refurbished mobile phone rather than a new smartphone reduces the annual environmental impact by 55 to 91% depending on the criteria.
Refurbished phones already exist. Their sales in 2020 saved around 230,000 tonnes of raw materials in France. But the potential is far from being fully exploited. In 2020, sales are estimated at 2.8 million units while 110 million mobile phones would sleep in the drawers of the French, even if not all of them are reusable.
Comparison indicators
The authors also suggest better communication with consumers on the environmental impact of products and services with the implementation of simple indicators to enable them to compare products.
Another avenue among the fifteen proposed, support for an eco-responsible French offer, or even increase the lifespan of devices and fight against software obsolescence. According to the European Commission’s Eurobarometer, software problems are responsible for the replacement of around one in five digital devices.
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