ICT for Sustainable Development

According to ADEME, even though it is “both a direct and indirect consumer of energy and emitter of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs), the information and communication technology (ICT) sector nonetheless represents a significant lever for progress in reducing emissions and controlling energy consumption.” A study conducted in 2016 within the French administration supports ADEME’s statements, noting the following about videoconferencing: “this now-essential tool also has the ecological virtue of helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” »*

Videoconferencing is one of the measures the Charlois Group has decided to implement to reduce its carbon footprint. This choice was primarily driven by the geographic dispersion of its maisons across France and various other countries. Employee travel between sites is frequent, and organizing meetings via videoconferencing will significantly reduce the need for many of these trips.

Videoconferencing has initially been rolled out in France at the sites in Murlin, Bordeaux, Ludon-Médoc, Brive-la-Gaillarde, and Paris. Significant investments in network infrastructure have been made, particularly at the Murlin site, where the company had to be connected to fiber optic internet.

The success of this initiative will depend on raising awareness among employees about using this tool, ensuring that the action is embraced by all staff members.

In the same effort to reduce its carbon footprint, the group has also adopted electronic document signing software to digitize a significant portion of its procedures and significantly reduce paper consumption.

The issue of environmental problems related to information and communication technologies (ICT), particularly those associated with data storage, remains a concern. For instance, projects are currently being explored in various regions of the world to utilize the heat generated by data centers to power heating networks.

*in Raluca Iugulescu-Lestrade, “Téléconférence et visioconférence ou les paradoxes des outils de simplification des réunions”. The author nevertheless warns that videoconferencing may impact the quality of interactions between participants.