What is IT Device Sustainability Reporting?

IT asset sustainability reporting has gained more attention, particularly due to the European Union’s new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). CSRD requires certain companies to report more precisely on aspects such as their climate impact.

What impact do IT devices have on sustainability reporting, and how should their climate impact be monitored? We explore this topic in more detail in this article.

A Brief Overview of Sustainability Reporting

If sustainability reporting is new to you, it may initially seem a bit unclear. In short, the goal of reporting is to provide transparent information about a company’s responsibility in relation to the environment, society, and its own governance.

While the reporting is not mandatory for all companies, it is still a good practice for medium-sized businesses and even some smaller ones as part of their sustainability strategy.

What Does IT Assets Have to Do with Sustainability?

Many may be surprised to learn that IT accounts for up to 15% of an organization’s CO2 emissions*. This is especially true in companies where most employees use various IT devices daily. On average, one employee has 3–4 different IT devices, such as a phone, laptop, monitor, and possibly even headphones.

The majority of an IT device’s lifecycle CO2 emissions are generated during its manufacturing phase. While it is difficult for an individual company to change how devices are produced, extending the lifecycle of IT equipment, reusing it, and ultimately recycling it are relatively easy ways to make a positive impact.

Tracking and Managing Device Lifecycles

Systematic tracking of IT assets is an important part of responsible operations. When devices are used efficiently throughout their entire lifecycle, unnecessary purchases can be avoided, and the full potential of each device can be realized. Proper tracking also ensures that decommissioned devices are promptly repurposed instead of collecting dust in storage or ending up in a landfill. Additionally, well-managed recycling ensures that sensitive data is securely erased.

A good asset management software makes tracking IT assets seamless by consolidating all device information in one place. It also sends automatic notifications when a device’s lifecycle is nearing its end. Since all data is centralized, ESG reporting also becomes significantly more efficient.

IDR Makes Sustainability Reporting Easy

Reporting on the climate impact of IT devices doesn’t have to be complicated. IDR’s new sustainability reporting tool makes tracking and reporting IT devices’ environmental impact incredibly simple. Moving forward, you’ll receive accurate and reliable CO2 emissions data for your IT devices, along with ready-made reports with just a few clicks.

If you are using IDR Asset, the sustainability report is generated automatically. The report provides a clear breakdown of the environmental impact of newly acquired devices over a selected period, covering manufacturing, transportation, usage, and disposal.

The report can also be easily exported to Excel and sent to the company’s sustainability officer or even integrated directly into the company’s existing sustainability reporting tool via IDR’s ready-made REST API interface.

If you’re interested in IDR’s sustainability reporting, feel free to contact us here.