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Harnessing Technology for a Sustainable Future

  • 9 hours ago
  • 12 min read

How Sustainable IT Is Powering the Next Frontier of Environmental and Social Transformation - Thought Leadership by #SustXGlobal50 Awardee Katia Chaban, United States


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Summary


In this thought leadership article, "Harnessing Technology for a Sustainable Future" by Katia Chaban, VP, Global IT Head of IT Sustainability CoE, NTT DATA, Inc., United States, and a recipient of The SustainabilityX® Magazine Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ 2025, she explores the urgent intersection between innovation and responsibility. Drawing from decades of experience in the IT industry and sustainability, she unveils how Sustainable IT—strategic, ethical, and data-driven—can reduce technology’s environmental footprint while advancing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through clear analysis and real-world examples, Chaban examines the lifecycle impacts of technology—from production and use to e-waste—and reveals how digital tools such as AI, IoT, and blockchain can accelerate solutions to global challenges. The essay offers a roadmap for leaders, engineers, and citizens alike to rethink digital progress and harness technology as a powerful engine for a just, inclusive, and sustainable future.

In 2015, a blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet was adopted by the 190+ member nations of the United Nations. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, based on 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),  recognized that we must work towards the aim of ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring prosperity and peace for all people by 2030.  While technology isn’t a specific SDG, technology plays a significant role in achieving the SDGs. However, technology may also hamper their progress. Technology is a broad term encompassing tools and systems designed to solve problems, including Information Technology (IT), which is the use of computing devices and digital systems to store, retrieve, transmit, and protect data. As we further explore the uses of technology, we will highlight the complex interplay between progress and environmental costs, setting the stage for a deeper understanding of how the Sustainable IT revolution can shape both opportunities and risks in protecting the planet and ensuring prosperity for all.


The Information Technology Evolution


Humanity’s journey through the technological revolution has transformed society and the planet, beginning with early mechanical innovations and progressing to today’s digital world. Each era of technological advancement has brought great benefits, including enhanced productivity, economic growth, and improved quality of life. But at what cost?

The evolution of technology spans from ancient tools like the abacus (c. 4000 BCE) to today’s artificial intelligence (AI) powered systems. Recent years have seen the rise of cloud computing, big data analytics, advanced AI, digital twins, 3D printing, and agentic AI, which can operate autonomously. Technologies such as blockchain, virtual and augmented reality, and robotics are reshaping industry, and today, with more than half the world connected online, technology is driving a vast digital transformation across societies at rates of change that have never been experienced before. 


Sustainability, ethical considerations, and inclusion are becoming central themes as the technology revolution continues its rapid progression. Why? Technological breakthroughs have fueled rapid increases in energy use, resource extraction, and fossil fuel dependence, all of which have contributed to rising carbon emissions, widespread pollution, and environmental degradation. The expansion of digital infrastructure and mass production of electronics has since added new layers of impact, including significant energy consumption, e-waste generation, and resource depletion. 


The journey from simple mechanical aids to intelligent digital environments shows the evolution of technology and reflects humanity’s ongoing quest to enhance efficiency, connectivity, and global problem-solving at increased intensity. 


Linking Technology and Sustainability


At each stage in the lifecycle of technology—production, use, and disposal —technology contributes to the growing environmental footprint, making the cumulative negative impact of daily digital actions substantial on a global scale. How? 


Making IT


When energy is used, such as the energy used to produce electricity to make and to use IT assets like laptops, servers, or cell phones, most often this electricity comes from burning fossil fuels. These fossil fuels release greenhouse gases (mainly carbon dioxide) into the air, acting like a blanket around the planet, trapping heat, which leads to climate change.  Let’s put this into perspective. The production of a typical laptop is responsible for approximately 80% of a laptop's total carbon footprint, generating about 331 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions and using around 190,000 liters of water, primarily during the manufacturing of the motherboard, display, and other electronic components (1).  These devices are composed of approximately 60 rare earth elements (REEs) like neodymium, cerium and dysprosium.  The mining and extraction of these REEs can produce up to 2,000 tons of toxic waste (2). Think about this at scale. It is estimated that in 2026 over 197 million laptops (3) will be made, and we are expected to see up to 1.24 billion cell phones produced in 2025 (4).


Using IT 


We use our cell phones, tablets, and computers for work, communication, collaboration, and streaming videos.  Enterprise technology refers to the IT solutions that companies use to manage their business operations, encompassing systems such as sales and marketing, HR, financial, and email systems. There are also collaboration tools, such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom. And of course, there are security technologies, cloud computing, and AI. But how does that link to sustainability? 


Across billions of devices and trillions of keystrokes that we make to engage with these technologies contribute to digital technology’s growing share of global greenhouse gas emissions and climate impact. When you press the Enter or Submit button, the computer hardware performs basic, energy-consuming actions. If the action involves processing, storing, or transmitting data, this usage draws additional electricity. The connected servers and data centers involved in executing online tasks each consume significant amounts of power for computation and cooling, resulting in additional operational emissions. Actions such as online searches, saving files, messaging, or streaming trigger network activity across routers, cables, and cell towers, all of which require energy in global data centers and transmission infrastructure, resulting in additional emissions. Put into perspective,  there are approximately 306 billion emails sent/received daily which equate to 1.2 trillion grams of the global Co2 produced daily. This is the equivalent to driving to the moon 12,000 times (5).  


Let's go bigger.  In the United States alone, data centers used about 176 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2023—representing roughly 4.4% of the country’s total electricity use.  Some estimates place current usage between 240 and 340 TWh in recent years,  however, rapid growth driven by AI workloads is pushing these figures higher. As of 2025, data centers worldwide consume approximately 536 TWh of electricity annually, accounting for around 2% of total global electricity consumption (6). And remember, this electricity generates emissions. 


Let's not forget water! Data centers have a significant impact on global water resources due to their cooling requirements. In 2025, data centers are estimated to consume over 560 billion liters of water annually worldwide, which is enough to fill more than 224,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools (7). This water use is primarily for cooling servers, often through evaporative cooling systems, which account for approximately 80% of the water drawn, with the remaining 20% being lost to evaporation.


Disposing of IT


What happens when that technology can no longer be used? The disposal of digital hardware contributes to further emissions and pollution through e-waste. Why does that matter? When you throw out your cell phone or old laptop, it is considered e-waste, which contains hazardous materials deemed toxic. These materials can seep into soil and water, poisoning the earth needed to grow food and the water required for humans to drink. According to the World Health Organization, e-waste is one of the fastest-growing streams of solid waste worldwide. In 2022, an estimated 62 million tons of e-waste were produced globally (8).  Not to mention the loss of valuable REEs contained in e-waste.

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The Role of Technology towards SDG Achievement


On the upside, technology can expand access to essential services, improve data collection for informed decision-making, and foster global collaboration. Digital tools, including AI, mobile platforms, data analytics, and blockchain, can directly benefit approximately 70% of the SDG targets by accelerating progress in health, education, financial inclusion, energy efficiency, climate action, and other areas (9). According to a 2024 Google brief, AI has 600 use cases supporting the SDG targets, with the potential to enable 79% of their targets, a 300% increase since 2018 (10). Not only that, but it also makes good business sense.  IT companies that focus on contributing to the 2030 Agenda could realize $2.1 trillion in additional annual revenue (11).


Here are some examples:


SDG 1: No Poverty


  • Digital inclusion and mobile broadband efforts in developing countries enable access to financial institutions and new economic opportunities, like the GiveDirectly solution, benefiting over 1.7 million people with affordable connectivity and tools for entrepreneurship.


SDG 2: Zero Hunger & SDG 6: Clean Water


  • Smart agricultural platforms utilize IoT sensors and machine learning to optimize indoor crop yields and save billions of liters of water. For example, Smart Agro enables precise management of indoor cultivation, supporting food security and responsible water use.


SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being


  • NTT DATA has provided an easy-to-use, voice-activated communications technology: Connecting Seniors with Society, a service offered to senior facilities and local governments to ensure seniors have access to digital services, with a reported 87% experiencing positive changes.


SDG 6: Clean water and SDG 11: Sustainable Cities & Communities


  • To resolve the issue of water leakages across Europe, with over 25% of water being lost in the pipelines between the water tower and users, NTT DATA created Smart Monitoring, contributing to saving 1 million cubic meters of water.


SDG 4: Quality Education


  • The Profuturo digital education program delivers technology-enabled learning tools to children in vulnerable environments, reaching 28 million children in 40 countries and closing the digital education gap.


SDG 11: Sustainable Cities & Communities


  • UPS’s ORION, an AI route optimizer, helps reduce transportation emissions by saving 10 million gallons of fuel and 100,000 metric tons of CO₂ per year, materially improving urban sustainability.


SDG 13: Climate Action     


  • Google’s Flood Hub employs AI and satellite data for real-time flood forecasting in vulnerable regions, reaching over 460 million people across 80 countries and helping governments issue life-saving alerts up to seven days in advance.

  • SISTEMA INTEGRA is an NTT DATA solution integrated with a nationwide blockchain platform in Argentina, enabling real-time registration and tracking of shipments. It supports bulk tanker truck deliveries that do not require plastic packaging, thereby eliminating 660 kg of plastic waste per tanker truck.


These examples show the transformative impact of technology, including AI, IoT, big data, and mobile solutions, driving tangible progress across multiple SDGs. More case studies can be found at the SDG Showcase. 


The “Great” Juxtaposition


“Digital technology is shaping history. But there is also the sense that it is running away with us. Where will it take us? Will our dignity and rights be enhanced or diminished? Will our societies become more equal or less equal? Will we become more, or less, secure and safe? The answers to these questions depend on our ability to work together across disciplines and actors, across nations and political divides. We have a collective responsibility to give direction to these technologies so that we maximize benefits and curtail unintended consequences and malicious use.” -- UN Secretary-General António Guterres | 26 November 2019 |

In 1900, the global population was approximately 1.6 million people. In 2015, at the adoption of the SDGs, it was approximately 7.3 billion, and today it is over 8.2 billion. This means increased demand for technology and a greater need for access. The Global SDG achievement as of 2025 is significantly off-track, with only 17–18% of targets on pace to be met by 2030; 35% are making moderate progress, nearly half are moving too slowly, and about 18% have regressed since 2015 (12). While millions have benefited from improvements in health, education, and infrastructure, persistent challenges such as extreme poverty, inequality, climate disruption, and insufficient investment are creating a global development emergency, requiring urgent, scaled-up action to deliver on the 2030 Agenda. 


In 2023, the UNDP officially launched SDG Digital to assist countries in building their digital public infrastructure (DPI). “Digital public infrastructure represents the 'roads and bridges' of our new era on which countries can 'transport' a range of vital services to citizens, from e-health and e-government services to online education and social protection” (13). However, the sobering fact is that there are still over 2 billion people who do not have internet access, which means that with this number, any targets related to eliminating the digital divide won’t be met. These humans will continue to lack access to education, healthcare, and opportunity.


In relation to technology, the IDC predicted a surge in demand for AI workloads, which will more than double data center electricity consumption, reaching 857 TWh annually by 2028 (14).  Additionally, estimates suggest that data centers will consume approximately 1,200 billion liters of water globally by 2030 (15).  According to the e-waste prediction, by 2030, e-waste will reach 82 million tons, resulting in billions of dollars of valuable REEs being discarded and lost, and increasing environmental hazards to humans (16).


The Promise of Sustainable IT


We live in an era of unprecedented technological innovation, at the same time as the greatest need for sustainable development. Unfortunately, early technological advancements didn’t consider the consequences for the planet or its people. However, recent progress in green technology, renewable energy, AI for Good, and circular economy approaches shows that technology can also be leveraged to address critical planetary and societal challenges. 


Technology’s impact is global, so solutions must be inclusive. Progress depends on strong partnerships, including IT teams working closely with procurement, vendors co-designing solutions, and circular supply chains, as well as industry groups — both public and private —and academia collaborating to define common strategies and standards. When everyone in IT organizations, from engineers to executives, has a seat at the table, innovation flourishes and no community is left behind.


Sustainable IT begins with evidence-based management, which involves understanding your IT footprint and setting measurable targets. By embedding sustainability metrics, such as the carbon impact of cloud spending, device lifecycle data, and supplier emissions disclosures using ICT Calculators and decision-making processes, we replace assumptions with facts. 


The best part of the juxtaposition?  Sustainable IT isn’t just damage control—it’s an engine for growth. Data center providers investing in renewable energy, device manufacturers embracing design for reuse, corporations collaborating and creating impactful technologies, and startups pioneering carbon-aware software demonstrate that profitability and planet-positive outcomes can coexist. Every success story demonstrates that sustainable choices often lead to positive business impacts, inspire top talent, delight customers, and move us closer to achieving the 2030 agenda.


We stand at a rare inflection point. The same creativity that brought us the early technology innovation and AI breakthroughs can drive a circular economy and a net-zero future. Whether you’re an IT leader, a supplier, a student exploring tech careers, or a consumer who utilizes technology, you have a role to play. Be bold, ask questions, remain relentless in your pursuit of transparency, and take courage to champion initiatives that harness technology as a force for a sustainable future.

References:


  1. Circular Computing. (2021). What is the Carbon Footprint of a Laptop? https://circularcomputing.com/news/carbon-footprint-laptop/

  2. Okon Recyling. (2025). Why rare earth metals recycling matters. https://www.okonrecycling.com/magnet-recycling-and-applications/sustainability-and-magnets/growing-importance-recycling-rare-metals/

  3. Pangarkar, T. (2025). Laptop Statistics 2025 by Device. https://www.news.market.us/laptop-statistics/

  4. Mitra, S. (2025). Global Smartphone Market to Edge Up 1% in 2025. https://www.electronicsforyou.biz/eb-specials/industry-report/global-smartphone-market-to-edge-up-1-in-2025/

  5. Geneva Environment Network. (2025). Data, Digital Technology, and the Environment. https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/resources/updates/data-digital-technology-and-the-environment/

  6. Mytton, D. (2025). Data center energy and AI in 2025. https://www.devsustainability.com/p/data-center-energy-and-ai-in-2025

  7. Jennings, C. (2025). The Cloud is Drying our Rivers. https://ethicalgeo.org/the-cloud-is-drying-our-rivers-water-usage-of-ai-data-centers/ 

  8. World Health Organization. (2024). Electronic waste. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/electronic-waste-%28e-waste%29

  9. UNDP. (2023). Digital technologies directly benefit 70 percent of SDG. https://www.undp.org/press-releases/digital-technologies-directly-benefit-70-percent-sdg-targets-say-itu-undp-and-partners

  10. Hoyer, B., et. al. (2024) AI in Action: Accelerating Progress Towards the Sustainable Development Goals. https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/publicpolicy.google/en//resources/research-brief-ai-and-SDG.pdf

  11. Accenture. (2016). Digital Solutions Can Drive Progress Toward United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. https://newsroom.accenture.com/news/2016/digital-solutions-can-drive-progress-toward-united-nations-sustainable-development-goals-by-2030-finds-report-from-global-e-sustainability-initiative-produced-with-accenture-strategy

  12. United Nations. (2025). The Sustainable Development Goals Report. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2025/The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Report-2025.pdf

  13. UNDP. (2023). Digital technologies directly benefit 70 of SDG targets. https://www.undp.org/press-releases/digital-technologies-directly-benefit-70-percent-sdg-targets-say-itu-undp-and-partners

  14. IDS. (2024). IDC Report Revels AI-Driven Growth in Data center Energy consumption. https://my.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS52611224

  15. Nicoletti, L., et. al. (2025). AI is draining water from areas that need it most. https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2025-ai-impacts-data-centers-water-data/?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc0NjczMTkwMCwiZXhwIjoxNzQ3MzM2NzAwLCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJTVlhRQ1NEV0xVNjgwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiI2NDE5MTFBQjEzOTg0M0FGOEQ1MzEzOEEwQjkzQzdGMiJ9.q4q_84QGZUNRNig3SBDUVdsF2UGFko2J65FTWHjSRoE&leadSource=uverify%20wall&embedded-checkout=true

  16. Unitar. The global E-waste Monitor 2024. https://ewastemonitor.info/the-global-e-waste-monitor-2024/

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