Frameworks for Sustainable Digital Infrastructures
Description
The growing significance of digital infrastructures raises critical environmental and sustainability concerns related to their energy consumption, resource usage, and lifecycle management. Effective governance, regulatory frameworks, eco-labeling, and technological innovation are crucial for steering the evolution of digital technologies toward sustainability and transparency. This special track explores regulatory and voluntary measures such as the Right to Repair, certification systems like the "Blue Angel for Software," open-source strategies, and enhanced data and platform governance approaches. The goal is to promote practices that prevent software-induced obsolescence, significantly reduce resource consumption in IT environments, and foster transparent and inclusive governance models within digital infrastructures.
Objectives
- Assess the effectiveness of regulatory measures such as the Right to Repair in extending the lifecycle of digital equipment and reducing e-waste.
- Evaluate the role and effectiveness of environmental labels and certifications (e.g., Blue Angel for Software) in guiding sustainable software practices.
- Explore governance models promoting transparency and stakeholder participation in managing digital infrastructures and platforms.
- Identify and promote best practices to minimize software-induced obsolescence and optimize resource utilization in digital infrastructures.
- Facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration between policymakers, industry stakeholders, researchers, and civil society to enhance sustainability and transparency in digital technology.
Topics of Interest
- Impact assessments of regulatory frameworks (Right to Repair, EU Eco-Design Directive, etc.) on digital sustainability.
- Evaluation and implementation strategies of eco-labels and software certifications (Blue Angel, EU Ecolabel).
- Strategies and methodologies for preventing software-induced hardware obsolescence.
- Resource-efficient and lifecycle-oriented software design and development.
- Open-source initiatives and their contributions to sustainable and transparent digital infrastructures.
- Platform governance and data governance approaches promoting transparency, accountability, and stakeholder engagement.
- Innovative economic and technological approaches supporting sustainability in IT infrastructures.
- Case studies highlighting successful integration of sustainability principles into digital infrastructure management.
Special Track Chair
- Anna Zagorski, Umweltbundesamt (Anna.Zagorski@uba.de)