How to measure the environmental impact of your IT systems
Measuring the carbon footprint of an IT system in a large organisation is widely seen as a daunting, resource-intensive project.
IT teams worry about collecting data across dozens of countries, being unable to find a clear starting point, or simply adding yet another workstream to an already stretched roadmap.
In this Article
There is a more pragmatic path. At Verdikt, we have developed a progressive, field-tested approach with major international industrial groups.
It comes down to three steps.
From pilot to scale: our 3 step approach
The essentials at a glance
Start small
Run a pilot on a limited scope using available data, rather than trying to measure everything at once.
Go granular to drive action
Break measurement down by IT domain (workplace, infrastructure, cloud, apps, suppliers) to surface concrete levers for change.
Scale when the method is proven
Roll out across countries and entities once the approach is validated, backed by a dedicated platform.
Step 1
Start small
Resist the urge to measure everything from day one
The instinct to want a complete, organisation-wide picture from the outset is understandable — but it is also the most reliable way to stall the project before it gets off the ground. An overly broad initial scope creates data requirements that cannot be met quickly, and quickly demoralises IT teams who have competing priorities.
Our advice
Define a narrow scope, work with data you already have, and run a short pilot. The goal is not perfection — it is to validate the approach and build an internal proof of value that justifies the next steps.
An IT environmental pilot involves measuring the carbon footprint of a subset of the IT system — a region, domain, or entity — in order to validate the methodology and data sources before broader rollout.
Step 2
Go granular to drive action
A single headline number won't move anyone
Telling the business “our IT systems emit X tonnes of CO₂ per year” doesn’t tell anyone what to actually do about it. Driving real change requires enough granularity to answer three questions: where to act, why, and how — while still giving the executive team a consolidated view to steer the sustainability strategy.
Our advice
Structure measurement by IT domain. Each domain surfaces distinct action levers and can be owned by a dedicated team.
Workplace
Devices, peripherals, telephony
Infrastructure
Data centres, network, storage
Cloud
IaaS, PaaS, SaaS
Applications
ERP, HRIS, business software
Suppliers
IT procurement, value chain
Granular enough to act. Consolidated enough to govern.
Operational teams need specific levers. The C-suite needs a consolidated dashboard to steer the sustainability strategy. A well-designed approach delivers both — simultaneously, without extra effort.
Step 3
Scale when the method is proven
Don't reach for the platform before you've validated the approach
Once the pilot has proven its value and the methodology is solid, multi-country rollout becomes straightforward — without adding meaningful burden to IT teams.
This is the point at which moving from a spreadsheet to a dedicated platform stops being optional: the data volumes, the number of entities to consolidate, and growing regulatory reporting requirements (CSRD, GHG Protocol) make spreadsheets structurally inadequate for lasting transformation.
Our advice
Don’t go looking for the perfect tool before you’ve validated your approach. Do it the other way around — nail the method on a limited scope, then choose your tooling based on what you’ve learnt.
Iteration isn’t a sign of uncertainty. It is the very design of a robust, sustainable approach.
FAQ
The environmental footprint of an IT system covers all impacts generated by digital equipment, infrastructure, software, and associated usage — primarily measured in greenhouse gas emissions (CO₂eq), but also including water consumption and the depletion of abiotic resources.
The main international frameworks are the GHG Protocol (Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions), ISO 14001, and the CSRD’s European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). In France, the GR491 reference framework (formerly NR) and ADEME guidelines are also widely used.
Indirectly, yes. The CSRD requires reporting on environmental impacts linked to digital operations under the ESRS framework. As IT sits at the heart of most business operations, it is increasingly included in the mandatory reporting scope — particularly under Scope 3 upstream and downstream emissions.
A well-scoped pilot typically runs 4 to 8 weeks. It covers available data collection, initial modelling, and validation of results with both IT and sustainability teams.
In most large organisations, the workplace — covering the manufacture and use of end-user devices — represents between 40% and 60% of total IT emissions. The share attributable to cloud services and infrastructure is growing rapidly as organisations accelerate their digital migration.
The tipping point is typically around 5 to 10 entities or countries to consolidate, or as soon as regulatory reporting obligations (CSRD, GHG Protocol Scope 3) require the kind of traceability and auditability that spreadsheets simply cannot provide.
Client story
In this on-demand webinar, Arkema shares how they moved from manual Excel-based reporting to a scalable, industrialised IT sustainability approach — deployed across 25 countries with Verdikt.