European Green Digital Coalition

The European Green Digital Coalition (EGDC) is an initiative launched in 2021 by the EU Commission and a consortium of partners including GeSI. The EGDC was launched with the aims of:

Investing in the development and deployment of green digital solutions
Developing methods and tools to measure the net impact of green digital technologies on the environment and climate
Co-creating, with representatives of others sectors, recommendations and guidelines for green digital transformation of these sectors that benefits environment, society and economy.

In Phase I, the EGDC developed a standardised, science-based methodology to calculate the net carbon impact of ICT solutions. The aim of the methodology was to empower stakeholders globally to make informed decisions about digital solutions that can deliver a net positive impact on the climate. In other words, the carbon handprint of digital solutions.

The core framework includes:

A consistent structure for evaluating direct emissions, avoided emissions and rebound effects.
Alignment with existing international standards (e.g., ITU-T L.1480 and WBCSD Guidance on Avoided Emissions)
General principles that apply across all digital solutions.

To demonstrate its practical application and to ensure it was relevant and accurate for different sectors and types of digital solutions, the methodology was complemented by six verticals which included custom metrics, assumptions and use-case examples to reflect the unique characteristics of each sector and solutions. These verticals are:

Energy/power,
Transport,
Construction/buildings,
Smart cities,
Manufacturing,
Agriculture

Where we are today?

We are now in Phase II of the project, which GeSI is leading in a consortium with PWC & Carbon Trust. The second phase is focused on implementation, with the evaluation of 50 case studies across a two year period, showing the carbon handprint of digital solutions, through our net carbon methodology. The objectives of Phase II include:

Case studies: Develop a repository of at least 50 case studies, including calculated and estimated impacts.
Solutions: Support interested parties in quantifying the climate impact of either deployed, or planned, ICT solutions.
Updating tools & simplify the methodology: Simplify existing guidelines and EGDC Methodology from phase I, whilst exploring new tools, to support reduction of data collection burden.
Sustainable Finance for Green Digital Transformation: Facilitate sustainable finance in supporting the digitalisation of key sectors, demonstrating a net positive impact of digital infrastructure.

Wide adoption of EGDC Methodology: Widespread adoption from stakeholders:

Involved in the deployment of ICT solutions in the context of Smart cities and communities.
Involved in the digitalisation of major sectors of the economy (such as energy, transport, building/construction, agriculture, health, and manufacturing).
Actors in the public and private financial world involved in supporting digital solutions deployment.

If you are interested in learning more about submitting a case study solution you can find out more from the links below.