IT and networked services produce 1.6 gigatons of CO2e annually. This equals roughly five percent of global emissions. The sector's electricity demand could more than double by 2040.
Key Takeaways
- IT and networked services are responsible for 1.6 gigatons of CO2e annually (about 5% of global emissions)
- The data centre and data-transport sector emitted about 2% of global greenhouse-gas emissions in 2020
- Global data-centre electricity consumption was estimated at about 240 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2018
- The ICT sector’s estimated electricity use was 800 TWh in 2019
- The ICT sector’s electricity use could reach 1,500 TWh by 2040 (projection)
- In 2018, global data centres consumed 240 TWh of electricity (IEA estimate)
- The global e-waste generated was 53.6 million metric tons in 2019
- The Global E-waste Monitor 2020 estimated 2020 e-waste at 53.6 million tonnes
- In 2019, only 17.4% of e-waste was formally collected and recycled
- In 2020, the ITU estimated 53% of mobile subscriptions were 4G in 2020 (rollout and energy/cooling implications)
- The ITU reports that 5G accounts for about 2% of mobile subscriptions globally in 2019 (early stage)
- IEC 62474 is an international standard for materials declaration of products (compliance)
- In 2020, the EU’s share of electricity from renewables was about 38% (Eurostat figure)
- The EU’s emissions reduction target for 2030 is at least 55% below 1990 levels
- The EU Climate Law (Regulation (EU) 2021/1119) sets a binding target of climate neutrality by 2050
ICT already drives about 5% of global emissions, so greener data centers and e waste recycling are urgent.
Related reading
- Sustainability In IndustrySustainability In The Services Industry Statistics
- Sustainability In IndustrySustainability In The Cloud Computing Industry Statistics
- Sustainability In IndustrySustainability In The Life Sciences Industry Statistics
- Sustainability In IndustrySustainability In The Tech Industry Statistics
01 · Category
Emissions & Climate Impact30 stats
01
IT and networked services are responsible for 1.6 gigatons of CO2e annually (about 5% of global emissions)
02
The data centre and data-transport sector emitted about 2% of global greenhouse-gas emissions in 2020
03
Global data-centre electricity consumption was estimated at about 240 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2018
04
Global data-centre electricity consumption was estimated at 460 TWh in 2030 (projection)
05
Data centres can be 1.5–2x more energy efficient than the best typical practices, according to the report’s efficiency discussion
06
The IEA estimates electricity demand from data centres could grow by about 160% by 2030
07
Global cloud computing energy consumption was projected to represent 3.7% of global electricity demand in 2030 (estimate)
08
Total GHG emissions from the technology sector in the U.S. were 209 million metric tons CO2e in 2019
09
Mobile telecommunications networks are responsible for about 1% of global greenhouse-gas emissions
10
ICT sector accounted for 2.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 (range 1.4–3.2%)
11
The direct emissions of the ICT sector were 0.6% of global emissions in 2019
12
The indirect emissions of ICT were 1.5% of global emissions in 2019
13
In 2022, the U.S. data centre sector accounted for 2% of national electricity consumption
14
In 2022, data centres in the U.S. were estimated to account for 3% of U.S. total electricity usage growth
15
The lifecycle carbon footprint of a smartphone is about 85% in manufacturing and supply chain activities (estimate)
16
A typical laptop’s lifecycle emissions can be dominated by the manufacturing stage (estimate ranges 60–70%)
17
The manufacturing of servers dominates the lifecycle impact in a typical analysis (estimate)
18
A 2018 study estimated global e-waste emissions of 7–10 Mt CO2e from improper recycling
19
E-waste contributes to greenhouse gas emissions; one estimate puts it at 5.3 million tonnes CO2e per year in some contexts
20
The UNEP “E-waste: climate change and the role of sustainable material cycles” notes e-waste contributes around 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions from end-of-life activities (report’s figure)
21
The IEA estimates that worldwide ICT electricity use was about 800 TWh in 2019
22
The IEA estimates ICT electricity use could increase to 1,500 TWh by 2040 (projection)
23
The IEA reports ICT could account for 14% of global electricity demand by 2040 if trends continue (estimate)
24
On average, the energy efficiency of data centres has improved by about 15% over 2010–2018 (IEA cited improvement)
25
Energy usage effectiveness (PUE) targets: leading hyperscalers often report PUE near 1.1–1.2 (benchmarking)
26
Typical data centre PUE is commonly 1.5 (industry benchmark)
27
A 2021 report by the EU Joint Research Centre found that for data centres, 25–45% of energy can be consumed by IT equipment depending on configuration (range)
28
The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) reported that the ICT sector’s electricity-related emissions are the largest share of emissions for many companies
29
Amazon reported total Scope 1+2 GHG emissions of 86.5 million metric tons CO2e in 2022
30
Microsoft reported 2023 total Scope 1+2 emissions of 14.7 million metric tons CO2e
Interpretation
Emissions & Climate Impact Interpretation
Despite all the efficiency gains, the IT industry is already responsible for roughly a slice of global emissions comparable to a major country, and unless energy demand growth is curbed, our ever-expanding data centres, networks, and cloud services risk turning today’s “greener computing” promises into tomorrow’s larger carbon footprint, with the real kicker coming from manufacturing-heavy lifecycle impacts and the still-growing problem of e-waste.
02 · Category
Energy Use & Efficiency30 stats
01
The ICT sector’s estimated electricity use was 800 TWh in 2019
02
The ICT sector’s electricity use could reach 1,500 TWh by 2040 (projection)
03
In 2018, global data centres consumed 240 TWh of electricity (IEA estimate)
04
In 2030, global data centres electricity consumption projected to reach 460 TWh (IEA)
05
The IEA reports that improving efficiency in data centres can reduce energy use per unit of computing by up to 50% under some scenarios
06
Energy efficiency in the internet could reduce energy use by 25% compared with baseline scenarios (IEA scenario)
07
The IEA estimates that data centre energy efficiency could improve by 1% per year in some scenarios (reported improvements)
08
Typical IT equipment energy use accounts for 30–50% of total data centre power in many configurations (range cited in common assessments)
09
A DOE fact sheet defines PUE as ratio of total facility energy to IT equipment energy
10
Energy Star’s data centre efficiency benchmark targets PUE ~1.2 for highly efficient designs (benchmark concept)
11
Energy Star requires metering and reporting of energy performance including IT and total energy use for certification
12
Greenpeace’s “Clicking Clean” estimated that the internet could use 20% less energy through efficiency improvements
13
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) reports that data centres can improve energy efficiency with hot/cold aisle containment (case study)
14
Google’s data centre efficiency metric: average PUE of 1.11 in 2022 (reported)
15
Microsoft reported average annual datacenter Power Usage Effectiveness of 1.2 in 2023 (reported metric)
16
Equinix reported PUE of 1.2–1.3 for many of its facilities (reported in sustainability reporting)
17
IBM reported that it reduced total energy consumption of its data centres by 33% between 2012 and 2020 (reported reduction)
18
Intel’s data centre energy-efficiency target is to reduce energy per workload by 25% (plan/target)
19
Cisco reported improvements in energy efficiency for networking equipment of 21% per year (reported)
20
ETSI/industry guidance indicates use of energy-efficient Ethernet (EEE) can reduce energy use of link idle periods (savings range in doc)
21
IEEE 802.3az defines Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) as reducing energy during idle periods (standard concept)
22
A typical data centre fan speed reduction of 10% can lower fan energy use by about 27% (fan laws)
23
For pumps, reducing speed by 20% can reduce pump energy use by about 50% (pump laws)
24
U.S. data centre Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) target is commonly 1.3 or less (DOE guidance context)
25
U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR has a data centre certification program based on energy efficiency with an Energy Performance Indicator (EPI)
26
The EPI method results in a numeric score that can be compared across facilities (EPI concept)
27
The Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact’s target is carbon neutrality by 2030 (binding initiative target)
28
The EU “Code of Conduct on Data Centres” defines “high efficiency” PUE thresholds (efficiency classification)
29
US EPA reports that ENERGY STAR certified data centres have achieved median EPI improvements of about 50% relative to non-certified (benchmark claim)
30
The IEA estimates that energy efficiency improvements can offset some growth in energy demand from data centres and networks, reducing demand growth by a few hundred TWh (scenario results)
Interpretation
Energy Use & Efficiency Interpretation
Like a digital planet running on borrowed electrons, the ICT sector guzzled about 800 TWh of electricity in 2019 and could hit 1,500 TWh by 2040, but smarter data centres and networks, better efficiency standards like PUE, and operational tweaks such as hot aisle containment, Energy Efficient Ethernet, and tuning fans and pumps could cut energy per unit of computing by up to half and even let efficiency offset a chunk of future demand, as companies already reporting PUEs near 1.1 to 1.3 and major energy reductions show that the biggest lever is not just cleaner grids but cleaner design and ruthless power discipline.
03 · Category
Materials, Recycling & Circularity30 stats
01
The global e-waste generated was 53.6 million metric tons in 2019
02
The Global E-waste Monitor 2020 estimated 2020 e-waste at 53.6 million tonnes
03
In 2019, only 17.4% of e-waste was formally collected and recycled
04
In 2019, 82.6% of e-waste was not collected through formal systems
05
In 2019, 44.7 million tonnes of e-waste were not collected for recycling (calculated from report figures)
06
The Global E-waste Monitor 2020 reports that 5.3 million tonnes were generated from TVs and monitors in 2019
07
The Global E-waste Monitor 2020 reports 6.0 million tonnes of e-waste came from IT and telecom equipment in 2019 (category breakdown)
08
The Global E-waste Monitor 2020 estimates 9.0 million tonnes of e-waste from small IT devices in 2019 (breakdown)
09
In 2022, the EU documented 2.2 million tonnes of WEEE collected
10
The European Commission estimates that only around 40% of WEEE is collected in the EU currently
11
The EU WEEE target requires collection at least 65% of average annual put-on-market electrical and electronic equipment by weight (target year referenced in directive)
12
The EU Batteries Regulation sets collection targets for portable batteries of 45% by 2016 and 50% by 2020 (progression in regulation)
13
The Directive 2012/19/EU sets a minimum collection rate target for WEEE of 65% by weight
14
Recycling metals: In a typical mining lifecycle assessment, recycling aluminum uses about 5% of energy compared to primary production (widely cited number; report contains)
15
Using secondary aluminum can reduce GHG emissions by about 95% versus primary (reported in comparative analyses)
16
Global plastic recycling rate is ~9% (relevant to plastics in devices)
17
The OECD estimates only 9% of plastic waste is recycled globally
18
Apple reports using 100% recycled aluminum in all Mac lineup shipments in a given year (reported in Apple report)
19
Apple reported increasing recycled content in products to 26% overall in 2023 (reported figure)
20
Microsoft reported using 100% recycled aluminum in certain product lines for Xbox/Surface items (reported)
21
Dell reported 100% recycled and renewable content targets, including 100% recycled plastic in packaging for U.S. shipments (reported)
22
Dell reported that 80% of returned equipment is recycled or reused (reported via closed-loop/returns)
23
IBM reported reusing or recycling 98% of IT assets through take-back programs (reported)
24
The International Trade Centre reported that of global waste electrical and electronic equipment shipped, 75% is exported (reported)
25
UNEP notes that up to 70% of e-waste contains valuable metals such as gold, silver, copper, and palladium (reported estimate)
26
UNEP “E-waste: untapped resources” estimates that e-waste includes 10% of global gold and 20% of global silver (reported)
27
UNEP estimates that e-waste contains 100 times more gold than gold mines (reported)
28
UNCTAD/UN data estimates that e-waste contains about 33% more copper than natural ore (reported comparison)
29
The Global E-waste Monitor 2024 estimates the number of tonnes to reach 75.7 million tonnes by 2030 (projection)
30
The Global E-waste Monitor 2024 estimates e-waste generated in 2022 at 62 million tonnes (estimate)
Interpretation
Materials, Recycling & Circularity Interpretation
In 2019 the world generated 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste but only 17.4% was formally collected and recycled, meaning the majority of valuable materials stayed stuck in drawers or slipped into informal flows, while even the EU’s current collection hovers around 40% against targets of 65%, and although recycling can dramatically cut emissions for metals like aluminum, global plastic recycling languishes near 9% so the sustainability win still depends on better collection, longer device lifetimes, repairability, and those promised 7-year spare parts, because by 2030 we are on track to hit 75.7 million tonnes and the “untapped resources” of gold, silver, copper, and palladium will not recover themselves.
More related reading
04 · Category
Supply Chain, Standards & Compliance30 stats
01
In 2020, the ITU estimated 53% of mobile subscriptions were 4G in 2020 (rollout and energy/cooling implications)
02
The ITU reports that 5G accounts for about 2% of mobile subscriptions globally in 2019 (early stage)
03
IEC 62474 is an international standard for materials declaration of products (compliance)
04
ISO 14001:2015 requires an environmental management system framework adopted by organizations (standard)
05
ISO 50001 specifies requirements for energy management systems (standard)
06
ISO 14064-1 specifies quantification and reporting of GHG emissions and removals at the organization level (standard)
07
The Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Standard covers how to prepare corporate GHG inventories (scope rules)
08
Scope 2 guidance in the GHG Protocol provides location-based and market-based methods (policy standard)
09
The GHG Protocol Product Standard provides rules for quantifying life-cycle GHG for product-level footprints
10
The SBTi (Science Based Targets initiative) defines target-setting for corporate emissions reductions, including 2°C/1.5°C pathways (method)
11
CDP indicates that more than 700 investors use CDP’s disclosures for decision-making (disclosure participation)
12
CDP’s 2023 disclosure request covered 21,000+ companies (scope/scale)
13
The EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) requires sustainability reporting, expanding companies covered (quantitative)
14
The CSRD increases the number of companies required to report to about 50,000 (Commission estimate)
15
The EU Taxonomy Regulation requires disclosures for sustainable activities (framework)
16
The EU Batteries Regulation targets increasing recycling and setting material recovery targets (compliance)
17
The EU Batteries Regulation sets minimum recycling efficiencies: 50% for lithium, 90% for cobalt and nickel, and 35% for lead (by 2027) (efficiency targets in regulation)
18
The EU Conflict Minerals Regulation requires due diligence for 3TG supply chains (scope defined)
19
The EU Conflict Minerals Regulation applies to importers who place tin, tantalum, tungsten, or gold covered products on the EU market (scope)
20
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s “Green Guides” provide guidance on environmental marketing claims (compliance)
21
The FTC “Green Guides” were finalized in 2012 (year reference)
22
The EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation sets requirements for product sustainability performance including durability (policy)
23
The EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation will apply to many product groups including ICT equipment (scope in regulation)
24
The EU Deforestation Regulation requires due diligence for certain commodities (relevant to supply chains), with application starting for some sectors in 2025 (timeline)
25
The EU Digital Product Passport initiative is intended to provide data on products (policy)
26
The EU “Product Environmental Footprint” method is defined in Commission Recommendation 2013/179/EU (method)
27
The EU EMAS regulation requires eco-management and audit scheme participation (standard)
28
The EU Eco-label Regulation criteria development for products including electronics exists (policy)
29
The EPEAT ecolabel includes electronics sustainability criteria (program)
30
ENERGY STAR for IT equipment includes eligibility requirements specifying standby/sleep power limits (example standard)
Interpretation
Supply Chain, Standards & Compliance Interpretation
In 2020 the ITU’s tally that 53 percent of mobile subscriptions are 4G, alongside 5G’s still tiny 2 percent share, underlines that IT sustainability is less about branding than about upgrading energy-hungry infrastructure, while a whole stack of standards and rules, from IEC 62474 product material declarations and ISO 14001 to ISO 50001 and ISO 14064 and the GHG Protocol’s corporate and product footprint math, plus SBTi target setting and CDP disclosures, is steadily turning climate promises and lifecycle impact into audit-ready reporting, all of which gets tightened further by EU transparency and compliance machinery like CSRD, the EU Taxonomy, the Batteries and Conflict Minerals regulations, Ecodesign and Digital Product Passports, and even eco-label ecosystems like ENERGY STAR, EPEAT, and IEEE 1680, ensuring that every watt saved, every emission counted, and every supply chain claim substantiated becomes harder to fudge and easier to measure.
05 · Category
Governance, Targets & Reporting30 stats
01
In 2020, the EU’s share of electricity from renewables was about 38% (Eurostat figure)
02
The EU’s emissions reduction target for 2030 is at least 55% below 1990 levels
03
The EU Climate Law (Regulation (EU) 2021/1119) sets a binding target of climate neutrality by 2050
04
The EU “Net Zero Industry Act” aims to contribute to a net-zero pathway but includes numeric share target for clean tech manufacturing (policy)
05
SBTi target validation provides approved targets; over 5,000 companies had targets as of 2023 (reported)
06
SBTi reports that as of 2024, more than 4,000 companies had submitted targets (reported)
07
The SBTi “Companies Taking Action” dashboard provides counts (number)
08
Microsoft’s commitment: become carbon negative by 2030 and remove all historical emissions by 2050 (commitment)
09
Apple has a goal to be carbon neutral for its supply chain and products by 2030 (commitment)
10
Google committed to operate on 24/7 carbon-free energy across its global operations by 2030 (target)
11
Amazon committed to reach net zero by 2040 (target year)
12
Meta committed to reach net zero emissions by 2040 (target)
13
The Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact target is to reach carbon neutrality by 2030 (initiative)
14
The Carbon Neutral Data Centre Pact requires measurement and verification of emissions (policy)
15
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) publishes sustainability reporting standards (year 2016 revision)
16
The GRI Standards are designed to be used for sustainability reporting globally (scope)
17
The SASB standards (IFRS Sustainability) cover industry-specific sustainability topics including IT hardware (standards)
18
The ISSB was established to set sustainability reporting standards under IFRS (initiative)
19
The ISSB IFRS S1 requires an entity to disclose sustainability-related financial information (standard)
20
The ISSB IFRS S2 requires climate-related disclosures (standard)
21
The EU EFRAG/ESRS climate disclosure requirements are part of ESRS (policy)
22
The EU ESRS includes disclosure requirements for climate change (granular)
23
CDP scores: companies can score from A to D for climate disclosure (scoring model)
24
CDP uses scoring and verification; the scoring methodology is published (numeric score bands)
25
The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations are organized around four pillars (Governance, Strategy, Risk Management, Metrics & Targets) (framework)
26
The FSB TCFD final report released June 2017 (timeline)
27
The ITU Toolkit on ICTs and climate change emphasizes reporting and assessment (framework)
28
Many companies target 100% renewable electricity by year: Google committed to 100% renewable energy by 2017 baseline (historic)
29
The RE100 initiative includes target of 100% renewable electricity (definition)
30
RE100 members aim for 100% renewable electricity; as of 2024 there were 400+ companies (reported membership count)
Interpretation
Governance, Targets & Reporting Interpretation
In 2020 the EU plugged roughly 38% of its electricity into renewables and is now marching toward climate neutrality by 2050 with stricter 2030 cuts, while the IT industry tries to keep up by stacking commitments, reporting standards, verification schemes, renewable-energy pledges, and e waste rules into a well-structured paper trail that, if it ever grew a power cord and a recycling bin, might finally match the ambition.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Thomas Lindqvist. (2026, February 13). Sustainability In The IT Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sustainability-in-the-it-industry-statistics
MLA
Thomas Lindqvist. "Sustainability In The IT Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/sustainability-in-the-it-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Thomas Lindqvist. 2026. "Sustainability In The IT Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sustainability-in-the-it-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
112 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
sustainability.aboutamazon.comaboutamazon.com+52 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)