SMARTer 2020: The Role of ICT in Driving a Sustainable Future

Over a decade ago, GeSI commissioned the first SMART Report, one of the first major studies assessing the role of ICT in mitigating climate change. SMART2020 provided a comprehensive roadmap for leveraging ICT to reduce global carbon emissions. The report identified the pivotal role ICT could play in enabling energy efficiency across various sectors, from manufacturing to logistics, and proposed a strategic framework for unlocking these reductions. With its data-driven insights, the paper underscored ICT’s potential to reduce up to 15% of global emissions by 2020—equivalent to 7.8 gigatonnes of CO2.

• ICT as an Enabler: The report detailed the ways ICT solutions could directly and indirectly cut emissions, from smart grids to teleworking and logistics optimization.
• Sectors of Impact: SMART2020 identified key industries where ICT could have the greatest environmental impact, including energy, transportation, and buildings.
• Call to Action: Governments, businesses, and technology providers were urged to collaborate on scaling solutions, standardizing measurement frameworks, and incentivizing the adoption of green technologies.

The report also offered sector-specific case studies, showing how real-world implementations of ICT solutions were already driving significant emission reductions at the time. These findings remain crucial today, as industries continue to seek scalable, tech-enabled solutions to meet their sustainability targets.

For Members:  

• You can access the full version of the guide accessing member portal.