The government has just announced a "digital and environmental roadmap" to reduce the carbon footprint of digital technology in France. With several measures, this document is the result of collaboration between the offices of Cédric O, Secretary of State for Digital Technology, and Barbara Pompili, Minister for the Ecological Transition. An aid fund with a budget of 300 million euros is also planned.

Among these measures, telecoms operators will have to encourage customers to bring back their unused mobiles. The goal is to inject them into the reconditioning circuit or direct them to the recycling circuit.

If turning to easily repairable devices (thanks to the repairability index in place since January 1, 2021) or reconditioned devices (from players such as Back Mark, ReCommerce or PRS Solution) is better but not ideal either. Cédric O indicates: "We have entrusted Arcep with a mission to look into the model of smartphones subsidized by telecom operators. This may be a gas pedal for the renewal of telephones and therefore problematic for the environment. We want to delve deeper into this subject and objectify the impact of these commercial practices before taking any decisions on the subject".

The French Secretary of State for Digital Technology is notably thinking about pushing "the leasing of smartphones from operators, as is done in other countries".

For his part, the telecoms gendarme has been asked to create an "environmental barometer of digital players". This will be based on data collected from players such as data center managers, smartphone manufacturers and telecom operators.

The Arcep will also have to take into account the environmental aspect when allocating 5G frequencies. As a result, the allocation criteria could include the energy consumption of the relay antennas, as well as the coverage of the territory.

Not forgetting the giants of the Net, especially popular video platforms such as Neflix. Barbara Pompili explains: "What is the point of broadcasting very high quality video on smartphone screens just a few centimeters wide? We need to avoid aberrant practices such as automatic video playback, for example, which lead to unnecessary energy consumption".

The government will also have to set an example by turning to refurbishment and supporting the industry. "The government must set an example. We would like to see 20% of public orders for telephones or computer equipment to be for reconditioned devices," says Barbara Pompili.

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Source : Univers Freebox

The impact of digital technology on the environment would account for 1% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions - 2% in France. In order to curb this trend, the Secretary of State for the Digital Economy, Cédric O, and the Minister for Ecological Transition, Barbara Pompili, launched a roadmap on 8 October to tackle this issue.

The first axis consists of "objectifying the digital footprint", that is to say, making something intangible visible and therefore quantifying it exactly and improving the quantification methodology. Ademe (Agency for Ecological Transition) and Arcep will report their conclusions on how to inform consumers about the impact of their digital uses at the end of 2021.

The second priority is to extend the life of devices by encouraging their repair and re-use and by combating programmed obsolescence. Thus, all operators will be required to massify and systematise collection in their shops and to conduct awareness campaigns.

In addition, the recovery plan plans to devote 21 million euros to support the reuse and repair sector in France. The government will also conduct negotiations at the European level to reduce VAT on repackaged products.

However, there is no question of forcibly restricting French customs. The watchword is to incite the population to change its practices by showing pedagogy.

One of the novelties of the 2021 finance bill will be to oblige data centres to implement ambitious measures concerning their energy efficiency and heat recovery if they want to benefit from a reduced rate on their consumption.

The principle of eco-design must also be generalised. To this end, Ademe will be launching two calls for projects with companies. The companies will thus receive a bonus or a penalty depending on whether or not they take eco-design into account. They will also be encouraged to sign the Responsible Digital Charter which includes a set of good practices for a more responsible digital world.

The Planet Tech Care initiative has also been launched to put digital companies and training courses in touch with experts to help them reduce their environmental footprint free of charge.

Finally, the government wants to believe that digital and innovation can become tools for the environment. It plans to strengthen the GreenTech Innovation scheme, which will be endowed with a €300 million fund managed by the public investment bank Bpifrance to promote and finance green start-ups.

Certain avenues will now be debated and new measures are expected by the end of the year.

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Source : 01net