We are living in an age torn by paradoxes: digital technologies are essential to solving the challenges of the century, yet at the same time they are helping to worsen the environmental debt. The sector currently accounts for 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than civil aviation. This share could triple by 2050. The same applies to the water consumption of data centres, which will intensify the pressure on resources. What can we do about the urgency of the situation? Wait for self-regulation by the market, which is unlikely to happen? Regulate? For the moment, the subject is mostly ignored. Yet linking digital technology to sustainability objectives is no longer an option, but a necessity.
France breaks new ground in eco-design
Answers exist in the digital industry. Very early on, French players grasped the strategic importance of eco-design, making France a pioneer in Europe with the first general reference framework for the eco-design of digital services (RGESN). This toolbox goes beyond what already exists: it encourages us to question the real need and its legitimacy, while aligning with other standards (accessibility, security of exchanges, interoperability, data protection). Environmental performance becomes a vector for professional excellence.
This same logic guides the IA Act, which questions the sustainability of technological trajectories before committing to them. This is salutary, and requires a certain courage to ask what is desirable, what is socially useful and what is the environmental impact.
Regulation, an ally in the sustainable transformation of businesses
The recent Draghi report confirms that Europe is not innovating enough and that its productivity is declining. Is regulation to blame? That would be too easy a shortcut. Yet far from holding back innovation, the regulatory framework provides predictability and a serious competitive advantage for European businesses. The RGPD and the CSRD are examples of this: they guide us towards a future that respects individuals and the planet. By raising standards of transparency and calling on companies to rethink their long-term strategy beyond operational constraints, European regulations are strengthening the sustainability of the most durable business models.
The aim now is to make digital eco-design a shared standard, based on the existing French reference framework. It is not only a necessity, but also an opportunity.