External workshop on the ecodesign of digital services for greener networks and ICTs
BEREC will hold an external workshop on the eco-design of digital services for greener networks and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) on Wednesday, 30 April 2025, from 09:00 to 16:00 CET at the IRG Secretariat in Brussels, Belgium, and online.
Background
Digital services are often perceived as purely intangible. However, the development, maintenance, and operation of a digital service rely on infrastructures, devices, and resources. Therefore, it is important to explore ecodesign measures for sustainable digital services. These measures include making services compatible with older devices, limiting “nudge” designs such as infinite scrolling or auto-play, and adapting video resolution to the device’s size. Additionally, ecodesign principles mitigate the potential environmental impact of emerging digital services.
Aim
This external workshop is organised with the aim to deepen BEREC’s understanding of the means to implement ecodesign principles to digital services for greener networks and ICTs. BEREC also is looking towards identification of the existing tools, frameworks, and best practices enabling the development of digital services sustainable by design. This workshop will gather representatives from public authorities and organisations active in the area of digital services ecodesign (e.g., regulators, agencies, etc.), market players, and environmental specialists to build a comprehensive overview of existing initiatives and stakeholder perspectives on digital services ecodesign.
During the workshop, the following subjects will be explored:
- Existing initiatives: Existing practices developed by market players and ecodesign initiatives/policies in the European Union (EU), and discussion on potential future developments;
- Ecodesign of digital services’ impact on networks’ efficiency: implementation of efficient codecs for video to reduce data transmission volume; optimization of default platform settings to minimize unsolicited or unusual data transmission, such as adapting video definition to the end-user devices size; limiting “nudge” designs like infinite scrolling or auto-play which can lead to unsolicited traffic; specific best practices for Internet of Things (IoT) services;
- Ecodesign of digital services’ impact against devices obsolescence: elements to make digital services compatible with older devices; role of interoperability standard;
- Ecodesign potentialities for sustainable emerging technologies: exploring ecodesign principles implementation to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and virtual worlds development to integrate environmental issues in innovation policies.
The workshop conclusions will be the basis for a summary report detailing initiatives and existing recommendations for integrating ecodesign principles into digital services.
Preliminary set-up of the workshop
The workshop is divided into four parts:
- Opening
- Presentation of existing initiatives from Member States and stakeholders
- Roundtable: Ecodesign of digital services, one of the paths to sustainable digital development, greener networks and ICTs
- Closing remarks
During the first part, the BEREC Chair Robert Mourik (ComReg, Ireland) will provide opening remarks, already setting the scene of the workshop's subject and aim. This is followed by an introduction of fact-finding items on the digital services ecodesign of greener networks and ICTs by the BEREC Sustainability Working Group Co-Chairs Maria Sarantopoulou (EETT, Greece) and Tom Nico (Arcep, France), the organisers of the workshop. Furthermore, a representative from the European Commission (TBC) will hold a presentation, followed by Prof. Lynn Kaack (Hertie School), who will present an academic view with a focus on the environmental footprint of AI, providing an example of growing digital services.
The second part will contain multiple presentations about existing initiatives from the Member States and stakeholder perspectives. Sandrine Elmi-Hersi (Arcep, France) will talk about the general policy framework on the eco-design of digital services (RGESN). Anna Zagorski (German Environmental Agency) will present an analysis of software-based influence on a shortened service life of products’. Moreover, Susanna Kallio (ITU-Nokia) will share insights on the environmental impact assessment of AI systems in standards. The second part is concluded by a Q&A session and discussion with BEREC experts.
During the third and final part of the workshop a roundtable will be held to discuss the eco-design of digital services, one of the paths to sustainable digital development, greener networks and ICTs. The session will be moderated by Bianca Sofian (Cullen International). The panelists include Leonardo Veneziani (CCIA), Vlad Coroama (Roegen Centre for Sustainability), Asim Hussain (Green Software Foundation), and Ana Maria Galindo (Ericsson).
Following the roundtable, the workshop will be concluded with closing remarks.
The final agenda will be published shortly.
Following the event, the recorded video will be published on the official BEREC YouTube channel and made available on the BEREC website's Multimedia page.
Registration
Register your interest to join this external workshop in person or virtually by filling out the registration form below. Please note that due to the limited capacity at the IRG Secretariat, the registration for in-person participation is closing once the limit of 42 registrations is reached. Following that, registrations are possible only for online participation.
The registration deadline for physical participation is 25 April 2025. For virtual participation, there is no registration deadline.
Contact
Please direct your questions related to organizational aspects to Dalia Paplaityte via email: Dalia.PAPLAITYTE@berec.europa.eu.
Read more about BEREC’s work on sustainability
The BEREC Sustainability Working Group aims to enhance awareness and develop expertise on various aspects of sustainability in the digital economy, including electronic communications networks and services. The activities and topics addressed are interlinked with the work of the other working groups of BEREC.
Find more information on their work: BEREC Sustainability Working Group. Read more on BEREC’s work in the area of Sustainability.
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