Simple Steps Canadian Businesses Can Take to Transition to Greener Digital Practices

Using Energy Star-certified devices and energy-saving hardware directly decreases energy use. Servers with a higher efficiency rating are designed to use less power. Devices like printers and monitors have energy-efficient models that power down when they’re not being used. Businesses will improve their energy profile and reduce operational costs by implementing energy-efficient servers and other hardware.

Transform Your Business with These Digital Sustainability Best Practices

1. Reduce data transfer

Data transfer accounts for more than half of digital technology’s footprint. It’s easy to see why when you consider all the elements supporting data transfer, like data centers, routers, and miles of fiber optics. Businesses can reduce their digital carbon footprint by centralizing data into a shared drive or knowledge base. While this won’t eliminate data transfer completely, it will do away with sending files back and forth in individual cases. You must ensure everyone needing the data can access it to avoid additional transfer requests.

Companies must audit data storage to eliminate unnecessary files and optimize storage use or use virtualization to reduce overall energy consumption. Developers can minimize code and compress images to optimize website performance and reduce energy consumption.

2. Green hosting

Green web hosting is an essential move for a business’s sustainable digital presence. Choose a provider who uses renewable energy sources. By choosing green hosting, the business’s online operations will run on solar or wind power, limiting indirect energy consumption.

3. Extending device lifespan

Employees rely on equipment like tablets, phones, laptops, and other industry-specific devices. When these devices become inefficient, or vendors stop supporting their software or hardware, they’re usually replaced. However, replacing devices prematurely impacts the business’s digital carbon footprint. To avoid this situation, companies can partner with vendors and suppliers to extend the lifecycle of their devices. This might include buying more powerful equipment from the start to future-proof the technology, but it should include agreeing on longer support periods.

Companies can reduce unnecessary device upgrades and replacements by making sustainability a part of business culture. Instead of distributing work across multiple devices, reduce the number of devices used for each task or role. There will then be fewer devices to change or upgrade.

4. Promote remote work and digital collaboration

As of 2025, Many of job seekers in Canada want a hybrid position, or want to work remotely 100% of the time. Fewer than a quarter would opt to travel to a physical location for work. A Canadian business will appeal to the majority of job seekers by promoting remote work. Video conferencing tools reduce business travel, but one shouldn’t go overboard with them. Video calls and teleconferences also rely on data transfer for audio and video. Asking employees to turn off their cameras can reduce the corresponding impact on the environment.

5. Promote recycling

Businesses that promote recycling are on board with the Canada Plastics Pact. The CPP has demonstrated some progress toward 2025 goals, such as designing more kinds of recyclable packaging and reducing the use of problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging. There has also been progress on the objective to compost or recycle 50% or more of all plastic packaging. The CPP reported a recycling rate of 16% for plastic packaging in 2022, the year with the latest data available. This rate was lower than the previously reported one of 20% because the figure includes data from the commercial, industrial, and institutional sectors, whose recycling rates are lower.

Conclusion

A sustainable digital approach goes beyond turning off devices when you’re not using them. It involves considering how technology impacts all aspects of business operations: fostering connectivity, using digital infrastructure, and managing data. For example, Vancouver’s Digital Strategy reflects a commitment to creating a resilient and connected business community. Businesses that embed the commitment to sustainability in the ethos of their practices will see a future where environmental responsibility and economic growth go hand in hand.