ICT and the environment
In 2022 the world generated 62 million tonnes of electronic waste and recycled only 22% of it in a documented way. What is decided at the design stage determines what happens to it.
01Two faces of ICT
Information and communication technologies have a double relationship with the environment. On the one hand, they generate impacts: they consume energy in data centers, networks and devices; they require minerals whose extraction has environmental and social costs, and they produce one of the fastest-growing waste streams. On the other, they are a tool for measuring, controlling and reducing other impacts: sensor networks, satellite monitoring, smart meters and process control. Electronic engineering is at the center of both faces.
02The energy of data centers
According to the International Energy Agency, data centers consume around 1.5% of the world’s electricity, and demand is growing with cloud computing and artificial intelligence. A good part of the energy does not reach the servers: it goes into cooling, into power conversion and distribution, and into lighting. The measure of that efficiency is power usage effectiveness, PUE:
A data center with a constant IT load all year round. The bars separate the energy of the IT equipment from that of cooling and distribution, for the current PUE and for an improved one.
03Waste electrical and electronic equipment
According to the 2024 Global E-waste Monitor, in 2022 some 62 million tonnes of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) were generated, and only 22% was collected and recycled in a documented way. It contains valuable materials, such as copper, gold and rare earths, and hazardous ones, such as lead, mercury, cadmium and brominated flame retardants. Burned or dismantled without control, it pollutes the air, soil and water, and harms the health of those who process it.
| Rule | Scope |
|---|---|
| RoHS Directive (EU, 2011/65) | Restricts lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, two brominated flame retardants and, through a 2015 amendment, four phthalates |
| WEEE Directive (EU, 2012/19) | Producer responsibility for collection and recycling |
| Basel Convention | Controls the export of hazardous waste, including much WEEE |
| Argentine provincial rules | Some provinces, such as Buenos Aires, regulate WEEE management; there is no specific national law |
The RoHS directive changed the electronics industry worldwide: lead-free solder, with alloys of tin, silver and copper, melts at a higher temperature and forced processes and components to be redesigned. The general legal framework was covered in the environmental legal framework.
04ICT as an environmental tool
- Monitoring: air and water quality sensor networks, weather stations, satellite images to detect deforestation and fires.
- Efficiency: motor control with variable-speed drives, demand management with smart meters, electrical grids that integrate variable renewable generation.
- Ecodesign: equipment that can be repaired and upgraded, with standard parts, manuals and spare parts available. As seen in environmental management, in consumer electronics extending the service life usually reduces the footprint more than improving efficiency does.
Design is the stage where the most is decided: the choice of materials, the standby consumption, the possibility of disassembling and repairing are defined on the engineer’s drawing board, not at the recycling plant.
05In the laboratory
Using a wattmeter, measure the standby consumption of chargers, televisions, modems and computers, and estimate the annual energy they represent in a household.
Dismantle a disused electronic device, classify its materials and point out the components that would be hazardous waste. Assess how easy it would be to repair.
Design a low-cost air quality sensor network for a neighborhood, with its power consumption, its communication and the battery life.
06Common mistakes
- Believing that the digital has no material footprint. Every online service runs on physical equipment that consumes energy and becomes waste.
- Reading PUE as total efficiency. It measures the infrastructure, not whether the servers are working.
- Recycling before reusing. Reusing and repairing avoids manufacturing a new device.
- Throwing batteries and equipment in the ordinary trash. They are waste with hazardous metals and have their own collection circuits.
07Self-assessment
A data center consumes 1500 kW with 1000 kW of IT load. What is its PUE?
1.5.
How much annual energy is saved by lowering the PUE from 1.6 to 1.2 with 500 kW of IT load?
\( 500 \cdot 0.4 \cdot 8760 \) kWh ≈ 1750 MWh.
Which substances does the RoHS directive restrict?
Lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, two brominated flame retardants and four phthalates.
Why did lead-free solder change manufacturing processes?
Because tin, silver and copper alloys melt at a higher temperature and require different soldering profiles and components that tolerate it.
08Further reading
- Kees Baldé et al. The Global E-waste Monitor 2024. ITU and UNITAR, 2024. The global and regional data on electronic waste generation and recycling.
- International Energy Agency. Energy and AI. IEA, 2025. The consumption of data centers and its projection with artificial intelligence.
- Josh Lepawsky. Reassembling Rubbish: Worlding Electronic Waste. MIT Press, 2018. The geography of electronic waste, from manufacturing to repair.